In Your Nightmares
by thesilverhyena
Summary: Kirby of the Stars, curious and innocent, takes a liking to three wayward travelers, and even his stoic and tough old mentor, Sir Meta Knight, and his adopted big sister, Tiff Ebrum, are enjoying the stories their new friends have brought with them. If only they knew the truth about the danger that followed the three fiend slayers. IN PROGRESS
1. Prologue

**Summery::** A Kirby/Meta Knight fanfic I've been working on off and on since 2012.

Anyways, there is swearing, gore, violence, and bad ass moments ahead, just a quick warning.

 **Premise:** Set five years after the demise of Nightmare.

On the distant planet of Horva, lurks a powerful, half-succubus witch with the intention of bringing Holy Nightmare back from the dead. To do so, she tricks Kautounie, Neo, and Geoffrey Redsun into going on an adventure to claim an ancient scroll with powerful magic written upon it. Once they get it, the witch steals it from them, but then accidently teleports them to Pop Star, which was where she was planning on going after taking care of those brats. Realizing her mistake, she sets her pack of Hell Hounds after them, and they all end up in Dreamland. Despite a small setback, half her plan is complete, now she just needs one more thing... Kirby of the Stars.

Riley Prescott, the witch in question, will stop at nothing to take Kirby alive. But why does she want the little pink puffball so badly, and why must he be alive? Read the story, and you'll find out. Shit is going to get real!

Kirby of the Stars, curious and innocent, takes a liking to the three wayward Redsun travelers, and even his stoic and tough old mentor, Sir Meta Knight, and his adopted big sister, Tiff Ebrum, are enjoying the stories and enlightenment their wayward friends have brought with them. But still, danger is ever present and no one is truly safe from the plague of darkness to be set upon the galaxy! Epic adventures, gritty battles, and powerful bonds of friendship await in a fight against incredible evil against all odds!

(Now, if your curious and want everything that I've written out and posted, you can find this story on my DeviantArt, thesilverhyena. However, I'm updating/fixing this story as well, so if you want the cleaner, updated version, you're going to have to wait. For those of you wondering, I'm mostly going after the Anime, Kirby Right Back at Ya/Hoshi no Kaabii, however elements from the games will be included as well, along with some of my personal touches.)

In You're Nightmares, Prologue, Extra

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, and Graphic Description of Gore, and Daring Acts of Trickery and Deception.

' _True to my name, I am but a dream that lives in your heart. Therefore, I am immortal. For as long as there is fear in your heart, I will someday return._ '

The last words of Nightmare

*on the distant planet of Horva*

' _It's been a while since the great fiend known as Nightmare had his life force snuffed and peace has returned to the galaxy. This, we cannot allow. We've all come to far to give up the war now. One may have ended, but another will brew, by the might of we, the Chimera. The bait has already been taken, and the plan is in motion. In a dream you faded away, it is in a dream that you shall rise again, Holy Nightmare. After all, we're your biggest fans.'_

Glancing away from the stained glass window in her study, a young woman turned her gaze to the large, red-eyed doberman that had entered her chambers. She was quite beautiful to look at, with long blonde hair, and piercing blue eyes. She wore a short red dress with a leather vest over it. Twirling her iron staff like a baton, the woman approached the hell hound.

"Report, Alpha Balor."

"My lady... I am talking to Riley, right?" Balor asked, with a raspy voice.

He quirked his eye ridge, waiting for his mistress to respond. Riley nodded once.

"They've made it to the Under. My troops and I have done what you asked, we haven't made the trip an easy one for them, but we haven't hurt them too badly either," Balor rasped, "but your ladyship, I'm confused. How's keeping those bastards alive going to help bring Lord Nightmare back? You already let the human break into your tower and steal the Devil Claw, now you want to let them enter the Under?"

Laughing softly, Riley ran her fine hand across Balor's head. The hell hound couldn't help but shiver slightly at the sight of the three rings on his mistress' fingers, each on depicting the three heads of a powerful demon beast, the Chimera.

"Things couldn't have gone better if I planned them myself... which I did," Riley started.

Suddenly she froze, as she began having a low-mumbling conversation with herself. Riley gritted her teeth and began shouting, waving her staff and causing the contents of her study to fly about in an unorganized cast spell.

"Fine, you all helped!" she snarled.

Once things calmed down, Riley continued mumbling, something about that she'd have to do away with the little bitch if she talked to her that way again.

"Weston and Fey are getting jealous, I take it?" Balor asked.

"You have no idea," Riley grumbled, "now then, as I was saying before being so rudely interrupted!"

The sorceress paused again, taking a quick look around. Thankfully, Fey and Weston didn't have anything more to say.

"Those bastard children will do all the hard work for me. There's no way the guardian of that scroll would ever let me get near it, even if I did offer up a fair trade, such as that old sword. But, he'll allow those with "righteous hearts"," she paused, making quote motions in the air with her hands, "to fight him for the power contained in that scroll,"

Balor snorted, sending a small flicker of fire out of his mouth. All this trouble for a piece of paper. They should have been in Pop Star already. Narrowing her eyes, Riley could see the doubt throughout Balor. She knew the demon far to well.

"This is why I was able to bind you so easily, Alpha Balor," Riley growled, "The spell on that scroll is the rarest in Horva, possibly the entire galaxy. It was written by the dragons long ago, and most were destroyed during the war between Nightmare and the GSA."

"You don't mean... "Balor asked, taking a step back, eyes wide in surprise.

Riley nodded her head, a cruel smile on her face. Balor laughed softly, showing his jagged, molten fangs.

"We need that spell, however, we also need Pop Star's biggest celebrity, alive, if the plan is to succeed."

What Riley wasn't sharing was how such an adorable puffball could defeat the Great Nightmare in the first place. But it would be with the Star Warrior Kirby's assistance, willing or forced, that they shall bring Holy Nightmare back.

"Now go, Balor. Take the entire pack with you. Don't let those bastards out of your sight. I'll join you when I'm ready!" Riley ordered.

With a bow, Balor ran out of the study, sharp claws clicking on the stone floors of the tower. Already Riley was beginning to feel her heart race with anticipation of what was to come.

"We let them endure the Under and all it's horrors, and battle the guardian. If they loose, there will always be more suckers that will come our way. And if they win, we'll take what is rightfully ours, and send them to a place they should have gone long ago."

Riley's eyes burned a dark, soulless red for a moment. Then, with thoughts of victory fresh in her mind, she vanished from her study in a plume of fire and smoke. She wasn't about to miss this good of a show.

"The time of your return is nearly at hand, Holy Nightmare,"

*Deep in the Under*

Dungeon crawling. It sounds great in stories and video games. Playing the hero, finding treasure, artifacts of ultimate power, and fighting evil, but it wasn't something that was so glamorous. Like the long hours, sleepless nights, being stuck in a dark stone maze miles underground with hoards of monsters that would like nothing more then to turn you into their next smorgasbord and not having enough time to reload your gun. But still, treasure and power makes the trip worth it.

Still, that being said, the three young, wayward adventurers fighting their way through the Under wouldn't have it any other way. This is what they liked to call "fun".

Two brown-furred bipedal, wolf-like beings, zwetoocks, both female, and one human male, all standing in a triangular formation, each one protecting the other from the hoard of monstrosities that began to surround them. The sisters, Neo and Kautounie, had their spells at the ready, while Geoffrey, the human, held an exotic jewel-encrusted scimitar. Kautounie and Neo appeared quite similar in appearance, though Kautounie was much taller and more muscular. Both had bright pink manes with colorful feathers and beads in them, giving them a wild and primitive appearance, although the sisters' cute pink hoodies, short black skirts, and the shotgun on Kautounie's back was more than enough to let anyone know that they had plenty of knowledge about the modern age Horva had embraced. Geoffrey, with his messy onyx hair and long black leather armored duster appeared cool as could be, even with a swarm of hungry zombies swooping in, ready to devourer them.

With a nod, Kautounie and Neo fired their spells, two rather large and explosive fireballs, into the fray. The advancing hoard was dwindled and smoldering, but they were by no means out.

"Ah... right," Geoffrey sighed.

The blade he wielded easily sliced through his adversaries like a hot knife through butter. So kind of Riley to leave this out in the open. She may as well have just put a bow on it too. But alas, Geoffrey knew that he couldn't get too attached to the Devil Claw, as a much greater prize awaited at the end of the maze... if all these damn monsters would just get out of their way already!

Finally, the battle ended with a loud 'BANG' and Kautounie blowing the smoke from her beloved shotgun.

"Whew, did we miss anyone?." Geoffrey asked, wiping the blood from his sword on the tattered trousers of a slaughtered zombie.

Without missing a beat, Kautounie held her gun up and simply said, "Can't miss with Matilda!"

"May we continue?" piped in Neo, carefully stepping over a corpse.

There was a loud growl from one of the broken zombies. Slowly, it raised it's mangled, clawed hand and opened it's horrid mouth to prepare for an attack, only the get a swift kick in the face from the feisty cub, quieting it down in a second.

"You're learning quite well, little sister," Kautounie complemented, "you're doing very good for your first real dungeon crawl."

"You always said to keep your mind in the fight and eyes on the prize. And I want that prize." Neo gloated.

After regrouping, Geoffrey took the lead, though not before handing the Devil Claw to Kautounie and drawing a hand gun instead. It seemed that they had killed nearly every monster in this maze already, and thanks to Neo's well prepared healing spells, they were fresh and ready for more. The small party passed by a group of rotting skeletons, (which thankfully didn't get up), that appeared to have been the last people to traverse the treacherous Under.

"That better be some scroll," Geoffrey muttered, "why did I agree to this again?"

"Knowledge, experience, just to prove that you could do it." Neo shrugged, throwing out her best guess.

"That just makes it all fine and lovey, then, don't it?"

The rouge was very pleased that young Neo had started adventuring with himself and Kautounie. She had a way of bringing merriment into even the darkest places. Even with the wars over, there was still much buried treasure and power hidden in the deep places of Horva.

The three of them breathed sighs of relief as they came across the end of the maze. Pillars of stone marked the way into a magnificent cavern, filled with natural wonders and something much, much, more. Three days of dodging traps, killing monsters, and sleepless nights was about to pay off. The entire cavern was a treasure hoard, amassed over what must have been hundreds if not thousands of years. It was more gold, silver, jewelry, and gems then any of them had ever seen in their life.

"By Sundar's grace... " Kautounie whispered, still in awe.

However, the real prize was at the other end of the cavern, settled on a pedestal. An ancient scroll, neatly wrapped up with a white sash. Neo and Kautounie felt their hearts pound with anticipation. The spell written upon that scroll was one every mage dreamed of obtaining.

"Lets just hope it's the real thing and not just a bunch of hooey." Geoffrey grunted, making his way to the scroll.

"Wait!" warned Neo, "Doesn't legend warn of a great and powerful guardian that will test any of righteous heart who seek the power of this spell?"

"Yeah, so what?" Geoffrey asked.

"Well, that's the whole reason we needed the Devil Claw, right? To make a trade?" Kautounie mentioned, with a shrug.

"Just a precaution to an old tale. Besides, no one's even seen a dragon since Nightmare's little war ended." Geoffrey snorted.

He reached out to take the scroll, only to be sent backwards by a powerful invisible force. Just as he was shaking off the daze, the treasure pile suddenly began to move. Watching the three this entire time with it's sapphire blue eyes was a decent sized, magnificent gold dragon. A Golden Moon Dancer to be exact. The creature's brilliant scales camouflaged itself will in his own riches. He had graceful, muscular proportions with a long neck, triangular head, many sharp spines adorning his back, and long tapering tail. Stretching his powerful, leathery wings, the great beast looked down on the small group.

Kautounie and Neo immediately bowed their heads and got down on one knee, and Geoffrey was quick to follow.

"Well now, it's been quite a while since any worthy challengers have appeared before me," the dragon started, very politely, "but I must say, so young, only children? Hmmm, no matter, I know what it is that you have come for. Rise, young ones. I am Zodiac, Guardian of the Scroll."

Kautounie and the others rose to their feet, still feeling a little bewildered.

"It is an honor, mighty dragon," she said, before introducing herself and the others.

"So, Redsuns you say? It is indeed a pleasure. You still wish to challenge me?" Zodiac asked, flexing his spaded tail around his feet, much like the same way a cat would, "very well, I have the scroll, but what can you offer me in return?"

"Well, great and noble lord, we have this," Kautounie offered, presenting the Devil Claw.

Zodiac looked over the weapon with a critical eye. It was certainly demon made, designed to slice through just about anything, and in the wrong hands, could be devastating. One thing was for sure, he would very much like to add this horrifying and deadly weapon to his collection.

"The offer is fair. The scroll for the sword," Zodiac snorted, "now then, prepare yourselves for battle."

"Wait. What?!" Geoffrey asked.

"Battle?" Neo questioned.

Zodiac was quick to explain that he wouldn't just hand over such magic to anyone who came through the Under with a pretty sword and send them on their merry way. Nope, he wanted to test them to see if they really were worthy of the magic within that scroll.

"I admire you all for your tenacity and bravery, but you must prove your worth before me."

"Great lord, I do not wish to hurt you. The dragon is the sigil of our pack. Your kind are sacred to my people." Kautounie stated, "My sister and I serve Sundar, the Father of Dragons."

"Young Redsun, you needn't worry. This fight will not be to the death. However, I must warn you that if I am the victor, you must never seek the treasure and magic of the Under again." Zodiac explained.

"And if we win, great lord?" Neo piped up.

"If you little ones defeat me," Zodiac began with a sigh, "then the might and magic on that scroll is yours to do with whatever you wish."

Kautounie, Geoffrey, and Neo stood off to the side, making their battle plan. The great dragon waited patiently, though he would vainly check his sleek black talons every so often.

"Are you sure we're ready for this? Dragons are very powerful." Neo asked, nervously.

"I was born ready." Kautounie growled, not showing the slightest hint of fear, "and there's no way I'm running from a battle this good."

"Nice knowing you, ladies," Geoffrey sighed as he finished checking his guns, "lets get to it."

Sacred or not, this dragon stood between them and their prize. Everything was laid out on the line and both sides were prepared for battle. Kautounie wielded the Devil Claw, Geoffrey one of his many handguns, and Neo, her elegant long bow.

Zodiac tensed his muscles, then rose to his hind legs, spreading his wings to their full span. In the blink of an eye, all the treasure, save for the scroll, vanished, presumably sent to a safe place so it wouldn't get damaged during the fight.

"Let us begin."

With those words, the battle was on. The great dragon began with a huge breath of flame, sending his three challengers scattering for cover behind some stalagmites.

"Kautounie, why not shoot some of those magic fireballs out of your hand?!" Geoffrey shouted, quickly taking a shot with his pistol.

"Fire cannot harm a dragon!" Kautounie shouted back.

She took a quick peak from her cover, quietly mouthing ' _but lightning can.'_

Kautounie howled her battle cry, then summoned a huge bolt of lightning and sent it straight for Zodiac. Emboldened, Neo and Geoffrey came out of their hiding places, firing arrows and bullets as fast as they could.

The dragon looked surprised, and his once sleek scales were scuffed from the lightning and gunpowder, but he was by no means done. This fight was just getting started. Zodiac slammed his paw into the ground, making it quake violently, knocking Geoffrey off his feet and nearly causing the sisters to loose their balance. The dragon swiped his sharp claws at the downed human, who rolled out of the way just in time, leaving the dragon nothing to scratch but stone.

"Geoffrey!" Neo screamed.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine!" Geoffrey called back.

"That's what you think, young Redsun!" Zodiac roared, belching another blast of flames from his mouth.

Geoffrey ducked and shielded himself with his arm, (yeah, a whole lot of good that was gonna do). He was expecting the fire and heat to melt him where he stood, leaving nothing more than a smoldering corpse. He looked up, and to his surprise, there was Neo, with a protective, cooling shield of ice rising from her hand.

"Geoffrey, it's getting very hot from where I'm standing!" Neo grunted, through gritted teeth as she struggled to keep powering her spell.

The human quickly fled from the flames, firing his gun at the dragon until it clicked. He simply dropped the unloaded weapon and pulled out a different gun, this one fully loaded. While Zodiac was busy with the two Zwetoocks, Geoffrey sneaked around to the beast's rear.

Neo screamed in pain as her ice shield shattered from the heat of the dragon's flames, singing her skin and fur. She coughed from the smoke and fumes, standing in a low crouch. Before Zodiac could attack again, the young mage spread a soft, blue grow throughout her body, healing her injuries. She hissed loudly, pinning her ears against her skull as she thread another arrow in her bow.

Kautounie shouted and howled in her native tongue, stinging Zodiac with the Devil Claw and harassing him with her own spells. Blinding flashes of light, acid, and scalding water to name a few. Kautounie wasn't letting anything to chance.

"Get away from her!" she snarled, taking another slash with the Devil Claw.

Zodiac roared in pain as the thick, armored hide on his arm was flayed open. Viscous, deep red blood poured from the wound, making the rough stone surface quite slippery. His tail lashed about in a fury, nearly sending Geoffrey flying into the wall on the far side.

Kautounie snarled, showing her sharp canine fangs in a primitive display that did little to impress or frighten the dragon. Zodiac snapped his jaws at the defiant zwetoock, eventually snagging the canid in his powerful maw. Kautounie yelped in pain as the steel-like fangs crushed into her bones, then he spat her out onto the stone below. Bleeding terribly, she tried to stand, but stumbled from the pain. Snarling and cursing, Kautounie continued her fight, not just against the dragon, but herself.

"Kautounie!" Neo shouted, bounding across the battle field on all fours to her sister.

"Had enough, Redsun?!" Zodiac asked.

"No, never enough. The only way this battle ends is when I'm dragged out of this cave!" Kautounie snarled, panting heavily, keeping the Devil Claw in a death grip as she finally forced herself to her feet.

She could see Geoffrey, scaling the wall like a spider behind Zodiac, completely unnoticed by the dragon. He gave the girls a quick, curt nod.

Neo whipped another arrow from her quiver and fired.

"Acierriow!" she shouted, activating the conduit within.

The arrow transformed into a bubbling jet of acid, piercing Zodiac right in his eye. Screeching with pain, Zodiac shambled backwards, holding onto his eye with his remaining good paw. Taking this opportunity, Neo cast a quick healing spell on her sister, enough to cure the broken bones and stop some of the bleeding. But to Neo's horror, she wasn't the only one who had ideas of healing.

Zodiac's wounds began to close and heal as well, and his eye returned to normal like nothing had ever happened to it.

"You'll have to do better then that, young one!" The mighty dragon growled, readying his fiery breath once again.

"Good idea," Kautounie snorted.

Taking a daring chance, Geoffrey jumped off the wall and onto Zodiac's back. The dragon roared loudly in protest, twisting and thrashing about to force his unwanted rider to dismount. Geoffrey held on for dear life, he didn't know what else to do. He didn't actually think his plan would get this far.

"Catch, Geoffrey!" Kautounie shouted before she lobbed the Devil Claw into the air.

Whether it was skill, natural reflexes, or shear dumb luck, the rogue caught the blade, (by the hilt, mind you), and drove it deep into the dragon's back. As he slid downwards, cleaving through the spikes towards the base of the neck, Zodiac stumbled, unable to keep his balance. Neo and Kautounie shouted the words to whatever combat spells they could think of at the moment while Geoffrey twisted the knife. Exhausted but still standing, Kautounie finished Zodiac off with several rounds from her shotgun.

Seconds ticked by slowly as the dust began to settle. Still panting heavily, Kautounie approached the great creature. His golden head was scuffed with black gunpowder burns and bled from where the shotgun pellets pierced through his armor-like scales. But by far the nastiest of his wounds was the deep, unforgiving gash caused by the Devil Claw.

"We didn't actually... kill him, did we?" Neo asked.

"Oh Sundar, forgive us..." Kautounie whispered, bowing her head deeply.

Suddenly, all the blood and gore of the battle melted away. Zodiac slowly rose to his feet, his wounds closing and healing. It was then the three adventurers saw that they too were good as new, their injuries healed and stamina restored.

"Oh dear Sundar, that was a stupid move!" Geoffrey mumbled, sliding off the gold dragon's back, "I nearly had my hand chopped off with my own sword."

"I think you mean my sword," Zodiac pointed out, raising an elegant talon in the air.

At first, the three Redsuns were confused. Then it hit them over the head like an anvil. They had won the fight and defeated the Guardian. The scroll was theirs now, however, a deal was a deal, and the Devil Claw was surrendered to Zodiac.

"Well done. You fought bravely, if not entirely honorably... " the great dragon said, turning a sharp gaze to Geoffrey.

"Hey, you just said we had to beat you. You never said how and with what." Geoffrey pointed out.

The proud dragon hated to admit that Geoffrey was right, but he couldn't deny the fact. Zodiac grabbed the ancient scroll from it's resting place and presented it to the victors.

"This magic is yours now. It may only be cast once, I should warn you. Use it well and wisely, my little friends."

Neo gingerly stepped forward after some prodding from Kautounie and Geoffrey. With it being her first real adventure with the group, they felt that she deserved the prize, especially since it was a spell only she could make use of.

"Thank you, great lord." she said, accepting the prize and bowing.

Zodiac bowed back before transporting the group back to the entrance of the Under. Geoffrey hated leaving that sword behind, but it was well worth it.

"We just defeated a Golden Moon Dancer on our day off!" he stated excitedly once they were back on solid ground.

They were now in an isolated forest, and the cave that once stood behind them melded into the earth and stone cliff behind them, as though it were never there in the first place. It was currently late afternoon, turning into evening. While Kautounie and Geoffrey checked their supplies for the journey back home to the Crimson Woods, Neo unrolled the scroll. The little cub's eyes lit up brighter than a Christmas Tree.

"It is! This is Resurrection! The most powerful White Necromancy spell ever created!"

Neo and Kautounie could both feel the arcane energy pulsing through the scroll. Geoffrey on the other hand could only comprehend it as an old piece of paper with unintelligible writing scribbled on it. Nevertheless, they had all fought hard and won it, and he was proud of that, proud of his best friends, his family.

"Quick, we better put this away before someone sees it. It's never wise to show off something this valuable." Kautounie suggested.

"Kautounie, who would be out here in this part of the forest?" Neo asked, rolling the Resurrection spell back up to pack it away.

Ah, such famous last words. Suddenly, the scroll was ripped out of her hands by a powerful, invisible force. Neo and Kautounie both tried to reclaim the prize, but to no avail.

"You'd be surprised!" hissed a feminine voice from above them.

Standing on the cliff above them was none other then Riley Prescott. Just like that demoness, always showing up at the most inconvenient time. She leaped off the cliff with the grace of a cat, landing elegantly on her feet. The witch held the stolen scroll daintily in her hand in a taunting manner and the strong smell of smoke and brimstone hung heavy in the air as Riley's pack of hell hounds came from out of the shadows to join her, the two largest members at either side.

"Thank you for this."

"Riley Prescott. It hasn't been long enough!" Geoffrey snorted, pulling back the hammer of his favorite handgun.

"Likewise, thief," Riley snipped, raising her staff in a defensive battle stance, "but as repulsive as we all find you kids, we owe you a debt of thanks. "

Neo and Kautounie didn't say anything. They were going to let their weapons do the talking for them. Riley couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear grip her, hearing the very distinctive noise a shotgun makes when pumped. The two groups stood off in this manner for a minute or two.

"Listen, we went through the dungeon, dodged the traps, killed the monsters, we battled the dragon, we won the scroll. Give it back and piss off, bitch!" Geoffrey shouted.

"After you stole the Devil Claw from me - from us! Which I left out just for you, anyway." said Riley with a sneer.

"Oh, details, details – wait! WHAT? Left out for me?!" Geoffrey asked, in shock.

With a laugh, Riley proudly explained that she knew Geoffrey wouldn't be able to resist such a prize. Everything he and the girls had done went according to Riley's plan. The location of the Under, the skirmishes, the Devil Claw, the Resurrection Scroll, everything they knew was because of her.

"We played right into her hands," Neo gasped.

"Shit! It was all too easy, we should have known!" Geoffrey cursed.

"Hmhmhmhmmmmm, you were like rats to cheese. All of us thank you for doing all the hard work. Now the Resurrection spell belongs to us." purred Riley.

In a graceful flourish, Riley held the stolen scroll in the air and in a bright flash, it vanished. She turned a triumphant smile to her opponents as they took their battle positions. It only pleased her more to see the looks upon their faces. Pure horror. Now there was nothing left for them to fight over. Only she knew where it was now.

"We're nearly finished here, but there's just one more thing, Balor, Glasya," Riley began, looking to each Greater Hell Hound in turn.

Kautounie, Neo, and Geoffrey had enough of this diabolical bitch and her dogs and let her know it. There was a loud 'BOOM' as Kautounie fired her shotgun, sending small bits of shrapnel and pellets everywhere. The hell hounds yelped in pain, but they only appeared to be annoyed. Neo whipped out an elegant wand of bone and used it to amplify the power of the spells she cast.

"Damn it." Riley cursed, quickly ducking and taking cover behind her furry shields, "after them!"

Her triumph was short lived, even more so as a bullet from Geoffrey's hand gun ripped through her thigh, causing intense pain and more importantly, ruining her clothes.

"Sorry about... that! I was aiming for... where... your...brain was! I wanted to make it quick!" Geoffrey yelled, in between pistol whipping hell hounds out of his way and taking another shot at the witch.

Riley was ready for the attack this time around and deflected the bullet with a wave of her staff, still holding the previous gunshot wound. Her eyes burned with intense hatred. These kids had outlived their usefulness to her. The time had come, especially now that they had really pissed her off.

Uncharacteristically, she called off the pack, rallying them to her side.

"I hope you don't mind the heat, because it's going to be really hot where you're going!" Riley snarled.

Kautounie hissed loudly, showing her canine fangs. She put Matilda back into the sheath on her back before leaping forward, claws out, ready to get close and personal. Neo and Geoffrey followed suit, guns and spells blazing, just as Riley expected them too. Before they knew what had hit them, a portal of sorts opened beneath their feet and pinned them in place.

"What is this?!" Geoffrey demanded.

"Good bye, you f***ing bastards!" Riley growled.

Suddenly, bright stars began whirling around the three and the forest began to melt away into a rift of space. But there was something on the look of Riley's face that told them she might have cast the wrong spell. Even as their surroundings shifted and blurred in a dizzying fashion, Kautounie could see Riley struggling to cancel the spell, but to no avail. Finally, Riley and her hounds vanished from view and they were sent tumbling down the rift. It was a very odd feeling, like their bodies were being stretched and pulled in a thousand directions all at once. Just when they thought it was the end of life as they knew it, the rift opened up in the sky, dumping them into the unfamiliar place below.

*During that period back on Horva*

"My lady, are you sure you sent them to the right place? That didn't look like the Gateway of Hell to me." Balor asked, nervously.

Riley blinked for a moment. She could hear Weston and Fey taunting her deep within her subconscious, no mater how hard she tried to suppress them. _'Told ya you needed to let me out, I'd have walloped them good!'_ snorted Weston. ' _Of course, because I'm the little sister I can't do anything right. Why'd you send them to Pop Star, sissy?! I wanted to kill them.'_ Fey shouted.

"All of you, just shut up!" Riley screamed, dropping her staff and putting her hands over her ears, "Balor, Glasya, get in there now! Dispose of those Redsuns and bring me that Star Warrior!"

The hell hounds didn't question their mistress' orders. All of them jumped into the rift, following after Kautounie, Neo, and Geoffrey.

Riley cursed herself for being such a fool. Such a stupid mistake, but for her bitter loss, she had an even sweeter victory. The Resurrection spell belonged to her now. She could still make this plan of theirs work.

' _Are you so sure, sissy?'_ questioned Fey.

"No, not really," Riley answered, honestly.

Without so much as a wince, the witch extracted the bullet out of her body, letting her flesh and blood regenerate like it was good as new. She glared at the mangled projectile before crushing it in her hand and letting the dust float to the earth below.

"I guess we could use another challenge," Riley muttered as she stepped into the rift before it closed and left Horva.

Next stop, Pop Star.

*Back in Dreamland*

Kautounie was the first to recover from the shock of the teleportation. Her hand glowed with arcane energy as she rose to her feet, expecting the hell hounds to begin their assault once again. They never did. In fact, Balor and his pack were no where to be seen. The zwetoock panted heavily as she took a look around, not recognizing the surroundings at all. She wasn't even sure if she was on Horva anymore. Everything had a softer and peaceful look to it, as opposed to the rugged terrain of her home planet. To the far north, she could see a huge stone castle perched on a cliff, overlooking a large field and town in the distance. But somehow, she had this nagging feeling that this was not the place Riley had intended to send her and her companions.

Speaking of which, they hadn't landed too far away from her and were just beginning to get to their feet.

"Holy shit, where the hell are we?!" Geoffrey shouted.

"Just be grateful you're not a permanent part of the landscape, Geoffrey!" Kautounie groaned while she checked on her sister, dismissing the spell she had prepared earlier.

Neo assured Geoffrey and Kautounie that she was okay. Then she felt all over her person and checked all of their packs.

"It really is gone. The Resurrection Scroll is gone!" Neo sighed heavily, "Riley plucked it right out of our hands. Here I was hoping this was all just a bad dream we were all having, a nightmare."

"Hmph, dream or not, this is a nightmare," Geoffrey sighed, "there can't possibly be anyone or anything good Riley would want to bring back from the dead."

Kautounie cursed, both in her native and common tongue. She was angry at Riley, but more so angry at herself. How could they have been so stupid? She didn't know when, but Kautounie knew that they would pay heavily for their mistake. Oh well, there wasn't much they could do about it now.

"We may as well make the best of a bad situation. Perhaps we could get some help." Geoffrey mentioned.

"Maybe that castle up ahead?" Neo suggested, finally beginning to calm down.

What was in the past was done, and if they were to bring Riley and her 'friends' down, they needed to regroup and come up with a plan. The trio picked up their scattered supplies and headed out. It was a strange, albeit interesting place. The sort of place they wouldn't mind taking a few adventures in. One thing was for sure, their next adventure was waiting for them much sooner then they thought, for they hadn't even walked half a mile before the familiar howl of the hell hounds rang through the night.

"Riley sent her hell hounds into the rift, it seems!" Kautounie growled, picking up the pace.

Racing across the open field, following the sounds of the howls, Kautounie and Neo picked up on what was unmistakeably a fight already in progress. The three readied their weapons and spells before cresting a small hill. Not to far below were the hell hounds rushing about in a frenzy, with a lone spherical masked swordsman taking down a good number of the beasts before being eventually being overpowered, and it only became worse from there. A small pink creature, similar but smaller then the swordsman, took a swing at the largest of the hell hounds. Another of the demons held a young girl of a species they were not familiar with to the ground.

"Cowards!" Kautounie hissed, preparing a spell as she watched the fight, "they would flee before us yet they attack wounded and cubs?"

Whoever these strange creatures were, they looked like they needed help, and fast. Kautounie, Geoffrey, and Neo approached the fight, standing on the edge of the battlefield. So many battles in one day, a hero's work was never done, nor would it ever be. But this was the life they chose, and they were going to enjoy it, together. The three of them nodded simultaneously, then, unnoticed by the fiends, Geoffrey took aim and fired into the fray.

 **Author's Note::** I originally wrote this back in 2012, feels like a lifetime ago, but I still love it. I'm really hoping to introduce more people to my writing. This fanfic really took off. I've got at least 50+ chapters and it's not even finished, so if you like a good, long, quality read, this story will be for you. And for reference (Since this site doesn't like you posting bios/OC references,) to put things into perspective, Geoffrey is 16, Kautounie is 13, and Neo is only 8, (yet highly mature for her age.) Much, much, MUCH more to come! Also, whether you're a returning fan who followed me on DA or a new one who just found me here or anyone in between, be sure to check out my new story, Dream Weavers as well, featuring slightly older Redsun siblings tackling the wonderful world of Slashers/Horror! New talents but the same attitudes!

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	2. The Hounds of Hell

In You're Nightmares, the Hounds of Hell

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Attempts by Demons to Feed on Child Flesh.

It was a quiet and clear night in Dreamland. The moon and stars shone brightly in the sky, illuminating the grassy fields overlooked by Castle Dedede. At least it 'was' a quiet night up until a few moments ago. Watching the sky from her family's apartment at the castle, a young girl saw what looked like two rifts open in the sky and several black shapes fall to the ground. In the blink of an eye, they were gone, but her curiosity had already been sparked. Tightening her ponytail, Tiff, turned to her round pink friend perched on the stone wall beside her.

"Hey Kirby, are you up for a late night stroll?" she asked.

Smiling brightly, emphasizing his blushed red cheeks and bright blue eyes, Kirby jumped off his vantage point and followed Tiff's lead through her apartment. Thankfully the rest of her family was already asleep. The two friends crept through the maze-like castle halls, out into the courtyard, and finally outside the castle gates and down the winding dirt road to the field below.

After the defeat of Nightmare, things had calmed down considerably in Dreamland, until tonight, that was. There was a slight chill in the air and the night was becoming unusually quiet. Uncomfortably quiet.

"Those weird things we saw in the sky opened up around here." Tiff mused, pointing up to the starlit sky.

Kirby looked up to where his friend was pointing.

"Poyo!" he said cheerfully, taking the lead.

Tiff sighed heavily. Even still, Kirby was just a child. He had learned much to be certain and had grown considerably over the years. Yet even through the hardships he and his companions endured, Kirby remained jovial and innocent as ever. The two of them walked further into the field, oblivious to the danger lurking near by.

*Somewhere nearby*

Under the cover of a tree, a dark and menacing presence loomed. Many of them, about fifteen in number. They resembled dobermans, but there was something... off about them. Their bodies looked unnaturally thin, almost emaciated. The red, soulless eyes that sank deep into their skulls glowed like embers in the night. A cloud of smog and smoke paired with the scent of brimstone hung heavy in the air around the dogs. There could be no mistaking these beasts. Hell hounds.

"I hate it when she uses teleportation!" one of the dogs complained, "she could have cast it a little lower to the ground!"

The largest of the hell hounds, around the size of a pony, growled dangerously at his subordinate, causing him to cower in fear, "Silence, Spitfire," he growled in a raspy voice, the sort of voice one might obtain after smoking one to many cigarettes, "Riley has her reasons. We needed to hitch a ride with those Redsuns if we were going to end up in the right coordinates!"

"And what of those bastard pups, Alpha Balor? We were locked in battle not two minutes ago. Now, I don't even have so much as a whiff of them." inquired the second largest hell hound, this one a female.

"With any luck, they were teleported into a brick wall," Balor snorted, flicking his ear and curling his mouth into a snarl, "come on, we're in the right place. This is Dreamland, alright. There's no mistaking it. Now then, we've got a delivery to make."

With that, Balor signaled the pack to move out, keeping to the shadows. It was a strange new world to be certain. He could only hope that those annoying pups wouldn't get in the way of her Ladyship's plans this time.

Finally after a short sprint, he saw what he was looking for. It was almost too good to be true. There it was, the pink puffball was out in the open, blissfully unaware of the danger lurking behind him. And he had brought along a snack with him too. How thoughtful. Sneering, Balor was thinking about all the praise he would receive from his mistress when he handed her the prey, and how sweet the flesh of his companion would taste.

"That?" asked the hound called Spitfire, "it doesn't look like a Star Warrior to me."

Before Balor could tell his pack to keep their voices down, the little pink puffball turned in their direction, blinking at the hounds with bright, innocent blue eyes. The hell hounds gawked for a moment. This was the creature that defeated the Great Lord Nightmare?

Then the overpowering smell that accompanied the demons caught the attention of Tiff, who shifted to see what Kirby was staring at. She gasped, looking into several sets of red, unblinking, glowing eyes. Well, that answered that question. Taking a brave stance, she tried to hide her fear. She knew how to fight, Meta Knight had taught her a few things, and she remembered taking on a few of Nightmare's monsters a few years back. Granted, those were more like high school bullies, but still.

' _Demon beasts? Here? Now? But how?'_ Tiff didn't have much time to ponder these questions, as the pack was swiftly approaching. It wouldn't have been much use to run either, since these creatures already had Tiff and Kirby surrounded. On closer inspection, Tiff did notice that a few of the smaller canines sported minor injuries that looked recent. Perhaps they had already been in a fight already? Regardless, she was regretting going out to investigate, more so when the large Alpha approached.

"What do we have here?" Balor chuckled to himself, looking down on his prey.

The Alpha circled around the little Star Warrior and his female companion once. He had half expected his quarry to make a run for it or even fight back, but instead, the small pink creature stared at the pack of hell hounds before him.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, tilting his head.

"Matches the description to a T... round, pink, blushed cheeks, red feet, vacant expression, this is Kirby all right.." the beast barked.

"What do you want with Kirby!?" Tiff demanded, clenching her hands into fists.

Even though perfectly capable of defending himself, as he had done many times before, Tiff couldn't help but feel protective of Kirby. She was practically his big sister.

At the girl's outburst, the hounds began yipping and growling at each other, communicating amongst themselves. Balor grinned, (or was it a snarl?) showing his jagged and sharp teeth.

"I'm afraid that you're not going to live long enough to find out, my little morsel."

Tiff grumbled in annoyance. One to many times had she been insulted in this manner.

"Careful, Balor, these little ones are much more dangerous then they look," Glasya warned, "these are the two who brought about the end of Lord Nightmare, remember?"

"Glasya, my love, back to your position. I know what I'm doing." Balor said confidently, a plume of smoke rising from his mouth.

With a snap of his jaws, he charged at Kirby. Quickly taking to his feet, the pink puffball rolled out of the way. For such a cute creature, he cast a pretty nasty glare to the Alpha, who had skidded to a halt, digging his long, curved claws into the ground, ripping away the grass.

"Why you little..." Balor growled, twisting around, "My lady said she only wanted you alive, she never said you had to be in one piece! Take him! Take them both!"

At his order the rest of the pack moved in. Glasya threw her head back and breathed a stream of flames at Kirby. The little warrior cried out in pain, but was able to get to his feet.

"Kirby!" Tiff called.

"I've got this!" Spitfire claimed, breathing a large ball of flames of his own.

"Kirby, suck it up!" Tiff commanded.

This time, Kirby was ready. At Tiff's order, he used his signature inhale ability. The hell hounds yelped and dug their claws into the ground to avoid being sucked up into the vortex along with the flames. When the attack was finished, Kirby now stood before them, flame rising from the crown he wore on his head.

"Poyo!" Fire Kirby challenged, taking a fighting stance.

"Alright, Fire Kirby!" Tiff announced, feeling much more confident.

Balor barked to his subordinates. Two of the hell hounds rounded on Tiff, while the rest once again surrounded Fire Kirby. Unsure what to do, Tiff took a shot at the closest hound. If anyone has ever wondered if a girl could swing a mean right hook, the unlucky hell hound found out. He took the blow right in the muzzle and was sent reeling back. Dazed from the strike, he spat a few broken teeth onto the grass.

"I love it when they play hard to get." the hell hound growled.

"Quit playing with your food, Lucifer!" snapped his pack mate.

Tiff heard him right. She had just been referred to as 'food'. Not tonight! She wasn't becoming dog chow without a fight.

Meanwhile, narrowly avoiding the fiery fur-coated razor blades, Fire Kirby leaped into the air and answered the raging inferno surrounding him with his own fiery breath. To his disappointment, the hell hounds shrugged off the attack like it was nothing. Tiff, seeing the failed attack, felt her heart sink.

"Nice try, kid. But we're through playing games with you." Balor snapped.

Before he could react, Fire Kirby was attacked from behind by another hound. He cried in pain as he was pushed to the ground by an unrelenting paw and forced to give up his fire ability. Shaking, Kirby looked up to the monstrous alpha, who was illuminated by the light of the moon behind him. Molten magma dripped from Balor's jaw as he prepared his own breath weapon.

"Kirby, no!" Tiff cried, before being tackled to the ground.

She struggled against the weight of her assailant, only to be punished by a painful breath of heat from Lucifer's mouth.

Glasya and the others watched their leader with anticipation, unaware that someone else was about to crash their party. In the blink of an eye and a blur of gold and silver, Balor found himself on the ground, bleeding from a deep wound on his neck. The other hell hounds glared at the party crasher in stunned anger. A navy blue spherical warrior, very similar to Kirby, stood with his back to the beasts. He was clad in armor, long flowing cape, and holding a magnificent multi-pointed golden sword in his hand. He turned his masked face to the hell hounds, golden eyes narrowing.

"Poyo." Kirby cheered, upon seeing his mentor.

"Meta Knight!" Tiff called, still fighting against Lucifer's hold.

Balor slowly rose to his shaky feet, dazed by the strike. "Well, well, well... the Legendary Meta Knight. My Lady warned me about you. Still playing at being Kirby's shadow, are we?"

"That is none of your concern!" Meta Knight snapped, with a commanding voice.

He stepped forward, taking a defensive battle stance, "I suggest you let the children go."

The hell hounds yelped and barked to each other in fear as they gazed upon the great warrior's sacred sword, Galaxia. Balor stood, unflinching before Meta Knight. Then, his mouth curled into a sickening smile, showing his jagged teeth. Balor began to laugh.

"No, no, my lady wouldn't like that. But perhaps you'd like to be their champion?" Balor snorted, flames flickering from his nostrils.

Meta Knight didn't move, even as the rest of the pack started to round on him. He couldn't help but be reminded of the terrible monster, Wolfwrath. However, something about these creatures told him that they were not leftovers from Nightmare Enterprises. They were far to sentient and intelligent. Suddenly, a sharp bark rang through the night. Confused at their alpha's orders, Balor's troops backed off.

"Meta Knight is mine! If any of you interfere, you'll answer to me! I haven't had good sport in some time."

"Balor, no!" Glasya warned, "His blade is a demon killer!"

"That's what makes it sporting, my dear Glasya," Balor pointed out, "as for you, Meta Knight, I'll make you a deal. If you can beat me, I'll have my pack let the little pups go and we'll leave you alone,"

"And if not?" inquired Meta Knight.

"Hehehe, well, I'm afraid you wont be alive to find out. You see, it would be quite a nice bonus if we were to drag your broken corpse back to my mistress!"

Accepting Balor's challenge, Meta Knight started forward. The demonic hound's pack stood off to the side, while Spitfire and Lucifer continued to hold Tiff and Kirby hostage. Meta Knight's golden eyes darted to the two young ones, then back to the Alpha.

"I'm going to have fun with this..." Balor grinned.

"Meta Knight, watch out!" Tiff warned.

Snarling, Balor charged forward, sending a fiery blast from his mouth. Meta Knight held his sword up and used it like a shield to absorb the flames and send them right back at the user. To his horror, the earlier wound he had inflicted upon Balor began to heal as it was licked by the fire.

"I expected better from you, come on!" taunted Balor.

Although angered, (more so at himself for such a mistake rather than Balor's taunt), Meta Knight kept his head cool and in the fight. With a grunt, he slashed the great hell hound across the shoulder as the two passed, exchanging strikes. Balor took a moment to lick his wound, then growled at the Star Warrior as he returned for another strike. The two were locked into a brutal fight of fire against steel, and both were evenly matched. All the while, howls of blood lust echoed through the sky.

"Let him taste the Fires of Hell!" Glasya shouted.

Meta Knight grunted in pain as the hell hound's sharp claws dug into an unarmored portion of his body and ripped through his flesh. Delighting in the feeling of the warrior's warm blood, Balor locked his powerful jaws around Meta Knight's right arm before tossing him aside. The old warrior quickly got back to his feet, though the intense burn of the Greater Hell Hound's bite began to spread throughout his body. Meta Knight took a quick glance to the horrific bite on his arm that was already beginning to fester.

"Feel that, old demon slayer? That's the gift of the Alpha Hell Hound. Excruciatingly painful venom. It starts with a fast spreading fever, followed by cold sweats and torturous pain. The feeble writhe and suffer for about fifteen minutes or so, but for someone like you, I'd give about half an hour... tops." Balor explained, licking the blood off his chops with his blackened tongue.

"That's... what you say," Meta Knight grunted, steeling his gaze and ignoring the pain.

He jumped right back into the fight, twisting in the air like a drill, Galaxia held out in front of him. His attack landed, taking Balor off guard. Balor snarled at the star warrior's defiance, the fur on the back of his neck bristling. The hole torn into his neck bled badly and left a horrible scar.

"I am going to enjoy watching you die!" Balor snapped, leaping forward, mouth wide open and glowing with the fires of Hell itself.

"Meta Knight!" Tiff screamed in terror.

"Don't move!" Lucifer snarled into her ear.

Glasya took an anxious step forward, relishing the moment of the Alpha's victory. But at just the right moment, Meta Knight leaped into the air and swung his sword downward, creating a shimmering blade of light that sliced through the hell hound's flesh. Before he knew what had happened, Balor fell victim to Meta Knight's powerful sword beam. Already weakened from the previous strikes, Balor stumbled to the ground, unable to move.

"I-impossible..."

With a whimper, the Alpha hell hound fell limp before his body burst into flames, leaving nothing but a pile of ash and cinders in the grass.

Kirby and Tiff, taking advantage of the situation, wriggled out of their stunned captors' holds. They ran and hid behind Meta Knight, who faced the rest of the ravenous dogs.

Glasya and the others stood in stunned silence. Balor would have done well to listen to Riley's warning.

"My... my husband..." Glasya howled.

"Leave these children alone. Go back where you came from, or feel the power of Galaxia!" Meta Knight warned, brandishing the great golden blade.

Glasya narrowed her eyes, and the air was filled with intense heat. Suddenly, the entire pack erupted into a blind rage. The remaining hounds charged both Star Warriors and Tiff, fangs bared, intent on tearing all of them to shreds.

"Kirby, Tiff, get out of here, quickly!" Meta Knight ordered.

"But Meta Knight-" Tiff started to argue.

"Go, NOW!" Meta Knight shouted.

Not needing to be told again, Kirby and Tiff fled. After a short distance, they turned to see if Meta Knight was still following him. Tiff and Kirby could see flashes of fire and the light of Meta Knight's sword beam, however, as the scent of blood became heavier in the air, they could tell that this fight was no longer in Meta Knight's favor. Although told otherwise and frightened, Kirby rushed back towards the fight to the aid of his mentor.

"Wait, Kirby!" Tiff called, following after the pink puffball.

Meta Knight had successfully slain five more members of the rampaging pack before he had become overwhelmed by the remaining members and Balor's venom. He couldn't help but let a groan of discomfort escape as molten fangs sank deeply into his body from multiple places, pinning him to the ground, and knocking his sword from his hand. As the old warrior reached for Galaxia, a very angry Glasya swatted it away with her paw, though not before feeling it's sting.

"Kirby, Tiff, no!" Meta Knight shouted.

He could see the pink creature and the girl out the corner of his eye, rushing back into the battle. Kirby had his sights set on Galaxia, if he could just inhale it, then he and his mentor would have a fighting chance.

"Kirby, suck it up!" Tiff ordered, pointing to the golden blade that lay on the grass.

When he began his inhale, Spitfire grabbed Kirby by the scruff of the neck and began thrashing his head violently before throwing the little warrior to the ground. Dazed and bleeding, Kirby painfully opened his eyes, looking at Meta Knight.

The veteran warrior was lying in a pool of his own blood, quickly loosing strength. Despite this, he still continued to fight against the dogs holding him in place. Glasya stooped over him, letting her molten saliva drip on her badly mauled captive.

"You murdered my husband while I watched. Now the little ones can watch as we feed on your flesh, Star Warrior!" she roared.

In a desperate act, Kirby took a swing at Glasya with his small, rounded fist. Insulted by his defiance, the Alpha female snapped her jaws at Kirby, missing him by mere inches before joining the others as they tore into Meta Knight.

"Get away from them!" Tiff screamed, just as Lucifer grabbed her from behind and threw her to the ground.

She struggled under the hound's weight, craning her neck just enough to see Kirby punching and kicking the demons in an attempt to protect his friends.

"Kabu, send-!" Tiff started, just before Lucifer covered her mouth with his paw, letting his iron-like claws bite into her skin.

"Not even he can help you now!" Lucifer snarled.

Suddenly, a piercing sound, like a loud 'BANG', caused the hell hounds to freeze. Lucifer yelped painfully as a speeding bullet ripped into his shoulder, forcing him off of Tiff and sending him a few feet back. He limped painfully, looking around in confusion. Then he saw them, standing not ten feet away.

"Glasya... it's them!" Lucifer barked in warning, "Redsuns!"

Three strangers, two female wolf-like creatures, and the other a teenage human male stood on the edge of the skirmish. Without much warning, the human raised the revolver he held at the ready and fired, clipping the Alpha female on the shoulder. Glasya growled in pain and stepped away from Kirby and Meta Knight. Another hell hound was greeted by a brightly colored arrow, fired from the smaller of the two canine biped's bow. Tiff's mouth opened a little as she gazed curiously at these newcomers.

"Nice shooting, Neo." said the human, motioning to the smaller of his two companions.

"Likewise, Geoffrey." Neo complimented, knocking another arrow in her bow and pulling back the string.

"Did you miss us?" asked the taller of the two females, her question directed at Glasya,"hmph, guess not."

"Enough talk, finish the bitch, Kautounie." Geoffrey grumbled.

With a flourish, the canine biped named 'Kautounie', spoke in some strange, possibly made up language, summoning a crackling lightning bolt from her hand. Glasya howled in agony as she was sent tumbling across the grass by the force of the spell. To add to her humiliation, she was also Neo's next pin cushion. In a fiery rage, the female hell hound tore the arrow from her body, snapping the shaft in two.

"Poyo?" Kirby muttered, still standing guard over Meta Knight.

Kautounie charged up another bolt, aiming for Spitfire and another of the hell hounds. Thinking quickly, Tiff gave Kirby the command,

"You know what to do, Kirby!" she called.

Filled with new confidence, Kirby began his inhale, aiming it at Kautounie's summoned lightning.

"What the? No, wait... don't...!" Neo warned, fearful that the small, pink puffball would be vaporized by her sister's lightning spell.

The three newcomers watched as Kirby's appearance shifted after absorbing the spell. He was now green in color, and a crown of crackling spikes adorned his head. The gem in the center of his crown was a deep, fierce blue.

"Go get them, Spark Kirby..." Tiff shouted.

"Well there's something you don't see everyday." Geoffrey started, nonchalantly.

"Geoffrey, why not start pumping these damn dogs full of led?" Kautounie suggested through gritted teeth.

Taking his sister's suggestion to heart, the human took aim at the hell hounds and fired, leaving them momentarily stunned for Spark Kirby to nail them with lightning bolts of his own. The three of them joined their new found allies in the fray, weapons and spells blazing. In an artful display, Neo swung her bow and knocked one of the hell hounds aside, following up with a brilliant green flash of light. Dazed, the hell hound couldn't escape as Kautounie ripped the creature's throat out with her bare hands.

"Sundar, defend us in battle!" she howled, raising her blood-stained hands into the air.

Even with the mysterious strangers' help, Tiff knew there was one more thing that could turn the tide of the battle further in Spark Kirby's favor.

"Kabu, send the Warp Star!"

"Waarrrrp Starrrr!" echoed the stone tiki's deep voice as he opened his mouth to release Kirby's most valuable weapon.

Geoffrey was momentarily distracted during the fight from the loud, booming voice.

"What the fu-?" he started, looking around for where the strange voice had come from, before being tackled to the ground by two hell hounds.

Cursing audibly, the human pistol whipped one of the dogs away, though not before the scorching breath of the other licked against his leather coat and skin painfully.

"Geoffrey!" Kautounie shouted, pushing her way through the ravenous dogs.

However she quickly saw that she didn't need to. As soon as the Warp Star was close enough, Spark Kirby jumped on, riding it like a surfboard through the air. With an angry 'poyo!' (which sounded pretty threatening from the little guy), he bowled the hell hound off of Geoffrey by ramming the Warp Star into the beast, finishing it off with a large and rather fierce bolt of lightning.

"Thanks." Geoffrey panted, somewhat winded, giving the little puffball a quick salute before getting back to his feet and drawing another gun from his under his coat.

Narrowly avoiding the barrage of spells, lightning bolts, and bullets, Glasya slowly began to back out of the battle, though not before meeting some resistance. Unseen in the darkness, Meta Knight had managed to crawl on the ground to his sword, and held it in his hand with a death grip. Before Glasya knew what hit her, the tip of Galaxia tore across her face, leaving a huge, ugly scar from the base of her neck to the tip of her left ear. She reeled back, rubbing her face with her front paws blindly, only to discover that her left eye was now completely useless. It had gone from bright red to sickly milk white in a matter of seconds.

"You bastard!" Glasya cursed, the back of her mouth glowing with furious embers.

She was interrupted in the middle of her strike as Spark Kirby steered the Warp Star into her, knocking her to the ground and sending her rolling down the hill.

"Poyo!" he shouted, angrily.

If looks could have killed, Glasya would have been dead ten times over.

Shakily getting to her feet, Glasya barked orders to her remaining troops, only to loose one to a brightly colored arrow, courtesy of Neo's well aimed strike with her bow, and another to Spark Kirby and Kautounie. Rounding off the battle, Geoffrey put two bullets into the hell hound preparing to take Meta Knight from behind. Twisting around, Meta Knight decapitated the beast, leaving it's body to incinerate on the ground. Now outnumbered and badly injured, Glasya called out to her two remaining pack members.

"Spitfire, Lucifer, fall back to me!" Glasya commanded.

Glasya and her hell hounds fled as fast as their wounded legs would carry them. Had their doberman bodies had more than stubs for tails, they would have been between their legs. The three mysterious travelers gave momentary chase, just to the edge of the battle field. Both Neo and Kautounie summoned their spells, Kautounie a jet of scalding water and Neo, a lightning bolt. Geoffrey pulled the trigger of his pistol after the fleeing demons until it clicked, signaling it was out of ammunition.

"Damn." he grunted.

Kautounie shouted something in a series of yips and barks then flashed a very rude hand gesture into the air.

"It's no good sis, they don't have eyes in the backs of their heads." Neo pointed out.

"Well Neo, it makes me feel better," the elder Zwetoock growled, taking a moment to lick the blood coating her hand, "and to think, I didn't even need to use Matilda."

"This is bad. If Riley's hell hounds are here, then that means that she must have followed us," Geoffrey said, "wherever here is..."

The three of them turned around to survey the battle field. There wasn't much, save for the charred patches of grass, signaling where a hell hound had been slaughtered. Their new found round little buddy had dropped his Spark form and the Warp Star returned to Kabu now that the fight was over. He gazed at the newcomers with curious eyes, holding one of his injuries with his small hands.

"Oh, poor little guy. He's hurt." Neo gasped, her expression saddened as she rushed to Kirby's aid.

"Wait Neo, you don't know if that thing could be dangerous! We just saw him eat Kautounie's lightning bolt!" Geoffrey warned.

"Yeah, and thanks to that, he sent a Greater Hell Hound and what's left of her hunting party packing. Not to mention he saved your tail." Kautounie pointed out.

Neo ignored her brother and sister, focusing instead on the wounded Star Warrior. She knelt in front of Kirby, smiling. Setting her bow on the ground beside her, she held out an empty hand to the little warrior. Upon seeing the curved claws on Neo's paw-like hand, Kirby shied away fearfully.

"It's okay, little one, I only want to help you," Neo said, in a reassuring voice.

She gently rubbed her hand across Kirby's head, and a majority of his burns and injuries faded away like they never happened. Feeling much better, Kirby smiled brightly in thanks to the young magician.

Kautounie growled loudly when she heard movement in the dark. Whipping around, she grabbed the shotgun from the sheath on her back. Tiff couldn't help but let out a startled scream. First the demon beasts, now finding herself in the cross hairs of the exotic and deadly looking weapon.

"Easy, girl!" Geoffrey shouted.

"Just a cub..." Kautounie stated, twitching her bushy tail and lowering her weapon.

Tiff slowly felt her heart rate return to normal once the canine put her shotgun back into it's sheath.

"What was that for?!" she demanded.

"My apologizes, young cub. Those hell hounds could still be skulking around. Devilishly sneaky, those monsters," Kautounie warned, "what were you two doing out here all alone?"

Still shaking a little, Tiff spoke, "Well... my name's Tiff, and Kirby and I were investigating -" she cut herself off and dashed around Kautounie at the sight of Kirby.

"Kirby, I'm glad that you're okay!" Tiff exclaimed, pulling him into a tight hug.

She was startled by a light tap on her shoulder, then she realized that the scrapes and burns she had gotten during the fight vanished. Without another word, Neo simply stood up, and gave Geoffrey and Kautounie the same treatment.

"Kirby... that name sounds familiar..." Kautounie mused.

Of course! Back on Horva, news had reached their distant planet of Nightmare's demise, and the little Star Warrior that destroyed him.

Well, at least one of their worries had been lifted. They knew where they were now... sort of. The two girls especially were quite pleased to meet such a distinguished warrior, even if he was more or less a child.

"Hey, did anyone see where the other guy went?" Geoffrey asked, taking a quick glance around.

Gasping, Tiff knew that the only other one missing was Meta Knight. Kautounie's nose quickly caught the scent of the older Star Warrior's blood trail, leading to where he lay in a heap on the grass, Galaxia still in his gloved hand.

When she saw the downed warrior, Neo couldn't help but think that she'd seen him before, or at least heard about him. If she wasn't mistaken, this was none other than Sir Meta Knight. Kautounie was quick to notice this as well. Their mother had told the two of them stories about a masked warrior that had assisted the pack in battle during the wars when Nightmare's forces ran rampant across the universe.

"Oh no, he's hurt really badly." Neo gasped, rushing to Meta Knight and kneeling beside him to get a better look at his injuries.

Feeling something grabbing him in the dark, Meta Knight rolled onto his back and blindly swung his sword, unknowingly attacking the very person who was trying to help him. Tiff was quick to grab the warrior's wrist and explain to him what was going on. With a pained groan, Meta Knight loosened the grip on Galaxia, which Kirby took from his hand. He tried to get up, but Neo gently pushed the blue warrior back down.

"Sssh, don't get up, you've been badly injured."

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, worriedly glancing to Meta Knight.

His breathing was heavy and forced, and his wounds were many and bleeding profusely. He shivered violently from a raging fever and was covered in cold sweat. The once sleek and handsome armor and cape he wore were now torn and mangled.

"Allow me." said Neo, seeing the worry on Tiff's face.

Neo waved her paw-like hands in a strange gesture, and touched the worst of Meta Knight's wounds. A soft, blue light emitted from the young cub's hand. At first, the wound appeared to have healed and closed. But to Neo's horror, the injury reformed, looking worse then it had before.

"Shit!" the pup cursed, before she could stop herself.

She briefly glanced to Tiff, who had a shocked look on her face after hearing such a word.

"What's wrong?" Tiff asked, regaining her composure.

"He's been bitten by a Greater Hell Hound. The toxin they leave within wounds is like a parasite, and it's resilient to healing spells," Neo explained, "how long ago was he bitten?"

Tiff nervously scratched her head in thought. Perhaps ten minutes ago, maybe fifteen.

"And he's still alive..." Neo gasped, with both admiration and terror.

"Quick Neo, you know what to do. Expel it." Geoffrey said, as he and Kautounie took defensive stances, weapons at the ready.

"It's too risky, I can't do it out here in the open. Those hell hounds could come back, and in greater numbers! I need to get him somewhere I can perform the proper surgery, NOW!" Neo barked, with great urgency.

Thinking quickly, for the sake of her friends, Tiff pointed to the castle, which wasn't too far of a walk from where they stood. And with the way things looked, it didn't seem like they had much options open to them. Neo and Tiff worked together to bandage Meta Knight's wounds with what first aid supplies the healer had on hand in an attempt to stop the bleeding and risk of further infection. Once the two girls were finished with the field patch, they wrapped up Meta Knight in his cape to help keep him warm. Neo made another gesture with her hands, speaking in a low mumble. By the looks of things, she was praying.

Thanking them for their efforts, Meta Knight forced himself to his feet, only to collapse. Every time the girls or Kirby tried to help him, the stubborn warrior refused.

Fearing that he would only hurt himself further, Geoffrey holstered his gun and took off his long leather coat. He crept behind Meta Knight, silently, and wrapped it around the Star Warrior before carefully picking him up. Meta Knight was surprisingly light, considering he was wearing steel armor. However, no good deed goes unpunished, and the warrior's eyes turned to an angry red.

"No... put me... down... I can walk... on my... own." Meta Knight protested, in between shallow breaths as he shifted in an attempt to get out of Geoffrey's grip.

As a result of Meta Knight's protest, Geoffrey only tightened his grip until the star warrior felt as though he were in a straitjacket.

"Shush. You can hardly stand. And you don't exactly have much of a say in this matter." Neo said, quite firmly for a cub of her age, "frankly I'm surprised you're still alive."

Too weak to resist any longer, Meta Knight swallowed his pride and allowed himself to be carried by the human after all. Tiff gently scooped Kirby and Galaxia up and followed after the newcomers. Neo, armed with her bow, and Kautounie with Matilda, walked on either side of Geoffrey, acting as his guards in case the demons dared to return.

"Look, I'm grateful for what you did back there, but who exactly are you guys?" Tiff asked, struggling to keep up with the pace set by the three.

"It's quite a delightful tale and I'd love to chat, but if we don't get your friend the proper medical treatment and fast, he's going to bleed out in my arms," Geoffrey spouted, urgently, "unless the poison gets to him first."

As the small group raced towards the castle, Geoffrey could feel Meta Knight growing weaker. Kirby let out a soft whimper at the sight of his friend and trainer and looked up to Tiff.

"Oh Meta Knight..." Tiff sighed, softly.

Placing the fate of her friend in the hands of complete strangers was something Tiff didn't feel comfortable with. There was no way she was letting them out of her sight. But they had appeared in the nick of time to chase those demon beasts away. Could they be trusted? That was something only time could tell.

 **Author's Notes::** Alrighty, my first actual chapter of this little trainwreck of mine. First I shall say that this is really a lot of fun to work on, although I had a lot of trouble coming up with a premise. Why is Riley so desparete to take Kirby alive? Guess what, I ain't tellin'!  
I think most of all, I loved writing the fight between Meta Knight and Balor.

And yes, the named Hell Hounds were named what I named them for "those" reasons. Spitfire, because it sounds cool, Balor, a real nasty sort of demon from the underdark, Glasya, the devil princess, and Lucifer... well, does that name really need explaining?

Anyways, the hell hounds are defeated, but a whole new battle has begun, a fight to save Meta Knight's life.

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	3. Healing Touch

In You're Nightmares, Healing Touch

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Brief Moments of Sickening Cuteness.

'Risking your life to save a complete stranger. Would you be willing to do it? You'd have to be insane to dive into a fray of ravenous hell hounds that would love nothing more then to fry you extra crispy. Well then, it's a good thing me and the sisters forgot our Thorazine tonight!'

The thoughts of Geoffrey Redsun.

'Just who are these strange warriors? It's clear to me that they're not from around here. I'm not sure if I can trust them completely yet, although they did help Kirby and I when we needed them most. One thing's for sure, I can't leave Meta Knight alone with them in his condition.'

The thoughts of Tiff Ebrum.

All was calm as the self-proclaimed King of Dreamland, the portly penguin-like King Dedede relaxed in his throne after a large dinner. He shifted his royal finery as he made himself comfortable. Naturally, with the cash he no longer owed Nightmare Enterprises, he was able to fix up the place quite nicely since that fiasco from a few years back had passed. The king sighed to himself lazily, closing his eyes. Things may not have been the same without his monster transport system, but after Nightmare Enterprises had let their Destroyers demolish his first castle then proceeded to use him, he slowly got over his anger and focused on more important things, like after meal naps. Then, the shuffling of many small feet racing down the hall caused King Dedede to open his eyes with a grunt of annoyance. What would the waddle dees have to stampede over now? He couldn't order any more monsters, no thanks to that pink cream puff.

"Who ever that is, I'll give em' a good whoopin'!" King Dedede growled to himself, grabbing his weapon of choice, a large wooden mallet, from behind his throne.

As he opened the great wooden doors, the king took a step back upon seeing a large group of waddle dees, fleeing from a disturbance down the hall.

"Huh?" King Dedede muttered to himself, confused.

*just down the hall*

Kautounie and Neo let Tiff take the lead, since they were in her 'territory', as they had put it. (Boy did they have a funny way of talking at times.)

The sisters hadn't meant to frighten off the waddle dees, it just came with looking similar to some of the monsters their king had been so fond of. Despite her tough exterior, Kautounie couldn't help but feel a little guilty after bursting in on them like this.

"I'm not that scary, am I?" Kautounie grunted, putting her shotgun away now that they were safe from the danger of the hell hounds.

"We can apologize to these poor, confused creatures later..." Neo stated, worry heavy in her voice as she looked back to the barely conscious Meta Knight.

By now, it had been nearly half an hour since Meta Knight was bitten, and by the looks of things, he wasn't going to be able to hold up the fight for much longer.

Drawn out by the panicked waddle dees and the sisters' talking, two knights, the taller one in dark teal armor and his shorter counterpart in green watched as Tiff led the three strangers down the hall, causing the waddle dees to scatter even more. Certainly, the wild looking bipedal, pink maned wolf creatures were quite a sight, however, it was when they got a glimpse of what the human male was carrying that made the two leap into action.

"Sword, id' you see wha' I saw?" asked the shorter of the two knights.

"Yes Blade. That was Sir Meta Knight alright, and he looked like he was hurt real bad." the knight called Sword, mentioned.

Sword Knight and Blade Knight cautiously followed behind Tiff and the three newcomers, intent on finding out exactly what happened to their master and where he was being taken.

"Sword... Blade... " Meta Knight groaned, weakly.

"It's alright, Kirby grabbed your sword before we took off." explained Geoffrey, completely oblivious to the fact that Meta Knight was calling to his two squires, "just keep up the fight a little longer, buddy."

Unable to cling to consciousness any longer, Meta Knight's golden eyes dulled as he blacked out.

"In here, this is good enough. Thanks, Tiff!" Neo announced, turning a sharp left and entering the throne room, leaving Tiff to make a quick change of direction.

King Dedede jumped back in surprise, (quite a feat, for a being of his girth), still holding onto his mallet. He was about to take a swing at these intruders, then it was his turn to lay eyes on the battered Meta Knight and the human that carried him. The King's eyes widened, then he stammered, "Meta Knight? Wa - what happened?"

"I'll explain later, you're majesty!" Tiff yelled as she rushed past, "As soon as I get the whole story, that is." she added to herself, quietly.

With a flick of her hand, Neo cleared off a decorative yet sturdy table against the wall with telekinetic force. Geoffrey gently laid the injured Star Warrior down and backed away to let Neo get to work.

The little zwetoock handed her weapons over to Kautounie and removed her archery bracers and hoodie. She started speaking in a fast pace that was difficult to understand, then placed her hand on Meta Knight's forehead, just above his armored mask. Already she could feel the rise in his temperature.

"Great Sundar, Giver of Life to the Sun, Moon, and Stars, defend this warrior in battle." Neo sighed.

Kautounie and Geoffrey both spoke in the strange, undecipherable language and bowed their heads once Neo's prayer was done. Tiff and King Dedede were both confused. Who was this Sundar person? But that would have to wait for later.

First things first, Balor's venom had to be removed. To be certain, a fair deal of it had been flushed out with the blood staining her patient's bandages, however Neo could sense that the parasite was already feeding away on Meta's dwindling strength.

"What's dis'? Dis' here is my throne room!" King Dedede protested, finding the courage to speak up.

"My apologies, great king, but right now it's an operating room." Neo declared, not looking up from her patient.

Carefully, Neo began removing the old, soaked through dressings. Now in the light, the extent of the damage could be clearly seen. The bites and scratches were deep and the burns looked painful, but by far the worst was on Meta Knight's right arm, the wound Neo had tried to heal with her sorcery earlier that night. Already it was infected, even with the precautions Neo had taken. The open sore was turning Meta Knight's arm black, spreading up to the rest of his body. He shivered uncontrollably from the fever caused by the debilitating poison. Neo gasped audibly. By all rights Meta Knight should have been dead.

"What can I do to help?" Tiff piped up, suddenly.

"Poyo..." Kirby added, in a sort of "what she said" tone and a nod of his head.

"Well," Neo began, taking a deep breath, "you can help by holding him still. This is not going to be a pleasant experience for him, I'm afraid... or for us."

Saying those ominous words, Neo took a small, wooden box out of the pouch attached to her belt. While Kautounie, Geoffrey, Tiff, and Kirby held Meta Knight down, the young healer smeared a thick, foul smelling paste into the Star Warrior's wound. Wincing with discomfort, Meta Knight shifted unconsciously, then lay still.

"Well, that was sure a lot of – WHOA!" Geoffrey shouted, being taken by surprise.

In a flurry of disorienting pain, Meta Knight's eyes flashed open and turned to a furious red as he struggled against those holding him down. Adrenaline coursed through his body like wildfire. Kautounie yelped as she was belted aside with a surge of strength she had not been expecting from something half her size (something half her size, sick, and badly injured, to be exact). The Greater Hell Hound's poison began to concentrate where Neo had put the herbal ointment on Meta Knight's festering sore, causing the blue warrior even more pain.

"Ummmmm... "Tiff shouted, turning to Neo uncertainly.

"This is supposed to happen, I can almost extract it!" Neo reassured the child.

As Geoffrey, Tiff, and Kirby fought to keep Meta Knight from thrashing himself off the table and hurting himself further, Kautounie's keen ears picked up on the unmistakable sound of swords being drawn. The older zwetoock snarled loudly, flattening her ears against her skull as she raised her paw, which glowed fiercely with arcane energy. Meanwhile, all King Dedede found himself able to do was stare at the scene unfolding before him as Sword and Blade were about to face off with Kautounie.

"What do you think you're doin' with Sir Meta Knight?!" Sword Knight shouted, raising his sword to attack.

"Saving his life!" Tiff answered, before a fight broke out.

The two knights lowered their swords, although Kautounie wasn't calming down. She glanced over her shoulder to her sister and Geoffrey, then back to the two knights.

With an audible hiss, Neo tore into Meta Knight's flesh, physically extracting a small orb of concentrated toxins. Once the poison was removed, Meta Knight immediately calmed down and his eyes dimmed as he fell back asleep. Now Neo's makeshift assistants could relax.

Sighing with relief, Neo looked at the orb she held in her hands. Balor's venom had been successfully extracted. But before anyone could celebrate, Neo realized that the toxic parasite began to dig into her skin. Letting out a startled yip, the healer dropped the poison to the ground, where it began to form into an imp like monstrosity and picked out a new target, King Dedede. The startled king shouted, and began assaulting the fiend with his mallet. It was a rather comical albeit painful sight to behold.

With a quick, graceful movement, Kautounie fired a small flash of fuchsia colored flames at the parasitic poison, the same spell she nearly cast on Sword and Blade. There was pained squeal, and the toxin was destroyed.

"Are you okay, highness?" Kautounie asked, her temper calming down.

Still panting, the king slowly nodded, looking down at the burn marks only inches away from his feet where the zwetoock's Fire spell had struck.

"You could have warned us that was going to happen." Geoffrey complained, glaring at Neo.

"I did." stated Neo, flatly.

Now that their misunderstanding was over, Sword and Blade put away their weapons and rushed to their leader's side. Already, with the poison gone, he was looking a little better. The raging fever was calming down and he shivered less.

"Is he-?" Blade began.

"He'll be just fine, now that the worst is over," Neo informed, with a gentle and relieved smile.

Neo placed her hands on Meta Knight's arm, and slowly the bite wound began to close and the color of his skin faded to normal. Feeling lightheaded after casting her curing spell, she panted and nearly collapsed to the floor. Kirby grabbed her paw, in an attempt to keep her on her feet.

"Thank you, little friend." she said, smiling at the little pink warrior.

"Neo, you've transferred to much of your own strength into Meta Knight, if you don't take a rest and regain your stamina, you're going to need healing." Kautounie warned, sweeping gracefully to her sister's side.

"No... I... I need to finish this, the rest of his wounds still need tending," Neo protested, "Then Kirby and Tiff, they were attacked too."

Neo trailed off as Kautounie gently pulled her aside, nuzzling her. Sometimes healers needed rest too, a lesson Neo still had yet to learn.

Sword and Blade were astounded by the determination of this strange furry creature. She was willing to torture herself to save the life of their master. And to think they nearly attacked her.

"Your kind heart will be the death of you, little sis," Kautounie grunted as she engulfed Neo in a tight embrace before helping the others, "by the grace of the Great Dragon take a break, already."

"You've done admirably, Neo. Let Sword, Blade, and I take over." Tiff suggested.

Although resistant at first, Neo took a breather while Tiff and the two knights cleaned and dressed the remainder of Meta Knight's injuries. Kautounie removed his cape, armored foot coverings, and shoulder guards, intent on mending them for the warrior, however when she reached to take off his mask, Meta Knight's hand grabbed the sorceress' paw, even in his unconscious state, startling Tiff and the two knights. His dulled eyes turned bright gold for a moment as he stared right at Kautounie, before passing out once again. Unflinching, Kautounie decided to respect the knight's wishes and left his mask and identity alone.

After a long, uncomfortable silence, King Dedede spoke up, "so, uh, how's he doin'?"

"He'll need a good rest, but he'll make a full recovery." Tiff informed.

That being said, Geoffrey gently picked up Meta Knight off the table and followed Sword and Blade to a room where they could let their leader recover. The human was relieved to see that Meta Knight was breathing easier and was no longer shivering. He was also relieved when Kautounie mentioned she could clean off his favorite coat, which was currently stained in the blue warrior's blood.

Meanwhile, Neo, having had enough of a break, gave Kirby and Tiff a quick once over, just to make sure they were alright.

After collecting their gear and supplies, Kautounie waved her hand, mumbling unintelligible words. All of the King's possessions that Neo had swept off the table earlier had been repaired and placed exactly where they had been originally, and the table itself looked good as new.

"You're majesty," Kautounie began, turning to King Dedede.

The portly king jumped nervously, then straightened himself up. It dawned on him that he was being addressed, more so, being addressed politely. Something that didn't happen all to often.

"A'hem, yes... uh... Taunia, was it?"

"Kautounie, your majesty, Kautounie Redsun," the mage corrected, "we are sorry for barging in the way we did, unannounced. But I pray you'll understand why we did."

At first, King Dedede was confused. Confused that this strange, pink-haired wolf girl was speaking the way she was. If she was faking it, there was no way he'd have been able to tell, even Escargoon couldn't fake it that well. But then again, thinking wasn't really his favorite pass time.

"Well, ya'll did what you did for a mighty good reason. Just a few questions though, girly. Who are all of ya, what are ya, and how did ya'll end up in Dreamland?" asked King Dedede, suspicion glossing his voice.

Kautounie sighed heavily, knowing that she couldn't have avoided the subject forever.

"To answer you're first question, this is my little sister, Neo Redsun. You already know who I am, and the human is our brother, Geoffrey Redsun," she started, "second, my sister and I are zwetoocks,"

Neo gave the king a curt nod and made a gesture with her paw in traditional zwetoock greeting.

"Wait here just a minute. How can that Geoffrey be a Redsun and your brother if he's human and you two are zwetorks?" King Dedede asked, now thoroughly confused.

Kautounie and Neo glanced to each other, but figured it was best not to correct the king's bad pronunciation again. The two of them quickly explained that Geoffrey was more or less adopted by the Redsun clan.

"As you might have already guessed, your majesty, we're not from around here. And as for your third question," Kautounie explained, taking a moment to look at Tiff and Kirby, "well, we're still trying to figure that one out for ourselves."

Taking the king's bewildered silence as their license to leave, Tiff, Kirby, Neo, and Kautounie left the throne room. Once again, Tiff led the way to the room where Meta Knight had been taken, although she couldn't help but wonder what was with Kautounie's and Neo's display back there in the throne room. The castle was quiet, and the only sounds were the flickering of the torches lining the walls, and the footsteps echoing through the corridor.

"So, was all that talk genuine, or were you just acting?" Tiff asked, more or less to break the silence.

A sly smile crossed Kautounie's face, "I learned from the best."

"Who?"

"Geoffrey, of course." Neo laughed softly, shaking her head.

It was clear that Kautounie wanted to keep Tiff guessing. Gee, as if she didn't get enough of that from Meta Knight. Speaking of Meta Knight, Geoffrey was waiting for the small group outside the door of his recovery room. He leaned against the wall idly, a bored expression on his face.

"So, did the king take kindly to our intrusion?"

"He did after I got through with him." Kautounie said, flicking her tail.

It was then Neo noticed the black marks on Geoffrey's hands, those weren't there before. When she inquired to the rogue about what happened, Geoffrey told her that he hadn't been expecting such a security system on the knight's sword.

"I'll tell you what, a couple thousand volts running through you're body does wonders to clear your mind. But I wont make the mistake of touching that sword again."

Neo looked absolutely appalled, but Geoffrey assured her that it was nothing. She was certainly no fool, she knew the rogue had more than likely been eying the huge ruby in Galaxia's hilt.

"Oh come off it, Neo. I just wanted a better look at it!" Geoffrey sighed, seemingly reading Neo's mind.

With a laugh, the teen welcomed his friends, old and new, into the improvised infirmary. It was large enough to house everyone comfortably and hadn't been occupied by anyone at the time. Meta Knight was sleeping peacefully in the bed against the center of the far wall. Galaxia was put back into it's sheath and rested on a small table beside it's owner's bed. Sword and Blade were sitting on either side of Meta Knight, watching over him anxiously.

On the right hand side, a roaring fireplace warmed the room to a comfortable temperature.

Kautounie was quick to set her burdens down and curl up on the rug. Tiff, meanwhile, pulled up a plush arm chair and sat down, Kirby seated in her lap.

"Thanks again, for what you did earlier. Fighting off those demon beasts and saving Meta Knight's life."

"Anytime," acknowledged Geoffrey, nodding his head and making the same gesture towards Tiff that she had seen Neo give to the king earlier, "but we can't take all the credit. You, Kirby, Sword, and Blade helped Meta Knight too. Not to mention Kirby's little stunt out in the fields made that battle a whole lot easier. As for the hell hounds, there were a heck of a lot more of em' in that pack the last time the ladies and I encountered them."

Tiff recounted the events of the evening before Geoffrey and 'the ladies' stumbled upon herself and Kirby. How she and Kirby attempted to fight back on their own, Balor's challenge to Meta Knight, Balor's death, and Glasya's rage. Kirby would start chiding away in his usual gibberish and gestured with his tiny arms in a childish manner.

"No wonder they were so unorganized when we joined the fray." Kautounie realized, eyes widening in surprise.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped, leaping off of Tiff's lap and wandering towards Meta Knight and jumping onto his bed beside him.

"I think we can take that as a yes, then." Neo piped in.

"That's what we usually assume." Tiff sighed, slumping down in her chair.

Ears twitching as the story ran through her head again, Kautounie mentally praised Meta Knight. Slaying a powerful demon, a named Demon of Horva to be exact, was not something just anyone would be capable of.

"Come to think of it, we've been hunting Balor for what, two years or so?" Kautounie mused, stretching on the rug to get more comfortable.

"I guess the stories we've all heard about the Star Warriors are true then," Geoffrey muttered, with a smirk on his face, "remind me not to piss these guys off."

Suddenly, the human male's tough exterior crumbled away when Kirby got uncomfortably close. Cringing, he took a few steps away, not taking his gaze off the little pink puff. This of course, caused Tiff and the girls to giggle. Even Sword and Blade couldn't stifle a laugh.

"What's wrong? Hell hounds are puppy dogs, but you can't handle this little cutie?" Tiff asked, with a rather large smile.

"For you're information, I watched that 'little cutie' eat Kautounie's lightning bolt and take it's power as his own," explained Geoffrey, "then he starts riding that star thing that came right the hell out of no where like a surfboard! He made mince meat out of demons! I think I'll keep my distance."

While Geoffrey ranted, Kirby just ignored him. Instead, he cuddled up to his sleeping mentor with a jovial expression on his already adorable face.

"Poyo," he sighed, sleepily.

"Yes, terrifying." Kautounie muttered, in the sort of way that she couldn't have put enough sarcasm in her words, so she wasn't even going to try.

Giggling at Geoffrey's... sacredness, eh... (cautiousness?), Neo began to gently stroke Kirby's shoulders. Apparently, the little zwetoock cub had found his sweet spot, as the pink puffball leaned further into the gentle massage, closing his bright blue eyes with pleasure.

"What's she doing?" Tiff asked.

"Massage, of course. You see, female zwetoocks use this technique to calm down the cubs and males of the pack. Male zwetoocks tend to get quite violent, but the females have a soothing influence on them. Neo has taken the practice a step further, and uses it in her healing," Geoffrey explained, "it's really quite relaxing."

Now that he was completely at ease, Neo picked Kirby up and handed the little gumball back to Tiff. The two of them talked quietly for a bit, and Neo even showed the young girl a few of her techniques. All the while, Kirby let out the occasional happy sounding chirp, wriggling in Tiff's lap contently.

"You have a healer's touch, Tiff," Neo complemented, "and I respect that."

"Hehe, thanks," Tiff said, unable to help the slight blush across her face.

She continued to stroke Kirby's shoulders, which was where he seemed to enjoy it the most.

With the night's events wearing down, fatigue began to weigh heavy in the room. Tiff and Kirby eventually fall asleep in their chair, and Kautounie was gently snoring away curled up in front of the fire.

Neo covered her new friends with a warm blanket before checking over Meta Knight to see if any of his bandages needed to be changed. She was clearly exhausted and fighting to stay awake.

"Get some sleep, Neo." Blade suggested, shockingly intelligible this time around.

Neo turned her tired gaze to the shorter of the two knights. Although she stated that she was just fine, her eyes betrayed her.

"Don't you worry, Miss Neo, we'll take good care of Sir Meta Knight." Sword added.

"They're right, Neo. Get some rest," Geoffrey suggested, "besides, if those dogs are stupid enough to come back," he cut himself off, and simply showed the rather large fully loaded revolver in his hand.

Unable to fight off sleep any longer, Neo felt comfort knowing her patient was in good hands. Sword and Blade knew Meta Knight better then she did anyway and were more than capable of handling him. Finally giving into fatigue, Neo cuddled up with her sister in front of the fire. She let out a few contented groans and yips as Kautounie snuggled closer. Geoffrey couldn't help but smile as he thought of the old saying, 'doctors really are the worst patients'. But it was quite touching that Neo would put others before herself, even if it meant risking her own life for a stranger.

"You know, we're sorry we burst in on you that way we did," Sword sighed, breaking the human from his thoughts.

"We shoul' ave' known you were tryin' to elp' Sir Meta Knight, especially since we aw' Tiff an' Kirby with ya." Blade added.

Raising his hand and lowering his head, Geoffrey began, "it was a misunderstanding. You didn't know us, you saw you're leader was in pain and you were just trying to protect him. To be honest, I would have done the same for Neo or Kautounie, and they would have done the same for me... I hope"

He leaned against the wall, bidding Blade and Sword a good night before closing his eyes. How he could sleep standing up was a bit of a mystery. Sword cautiously reached out, possibly to prod the human and see if he was still alive. Geoffrey's eyes snapped open and a sly grin crossed his face.

"Good night, boys." he grunted.

Sword and Blade could not be certain, but they could have sworn that they heard Neo and Kautounie giggling quietly in their sleep.

 ***** late that morning*

Pale sunlight poured through the window of the recovery room, causing Meta Knight to stir from his deep sleep. He was so warm and comfortable that he didn't want to wake up at first. Then memories from that night ran through his head. The hell hounds, pain, blurred flashes of flame, blood, so much blood. Then he saw them, Kirby and Tiff. They were in danger!

With a start, Meta Knight jerked awake, covered in cold sweat. It was just a dream, a nightmare. Or was it? He found himself lying in bed, wrapped in several warm blankets, with no memory of how he got there. It certainly was not his own room, but he could tell by the architecture that he was inside Castle Dedede. Looking around, Meta Knight saw that someone had cleaned him up and treated his wounds. Galaxia was at his bedside, however his armor and cape were nowhere to be seen. Thankfully, his mask had been left on. Sword and Blade were asleep on either side of him, mumbling softly. Shifting slightly, Meta Knight was relieved to see that Kirby looked considerably better then the last time he saw him, and was cuddled up, fast asleep with Tiff. However, he didn't know who the human, (still sleeping against the wall), was. Meta Knight had vaguely remembered being carried (rather manhandled) to the castle by him, but where were the other two pink-maned canines who had accompanied the human? Again, he couldn't help but think it was a dream. Perhaps he was still dreaming? As he was about to find out, the answer was indeed a resounding 'no'.

"Oh, you're awake," Neo stated, in a friendly tone.

Meta Knight turned his head to see the zwetoock cub looking over him curiously with her bright amber eyes. The warrior's own bleary eyes turned green for a moment. Had he seen this creature before? Long ago?

"Tamoko... Redsun?"

"Nope, but you're not too far off. I'm her youngest daughter as a matter of fact, Neo Redsun. That there sleeping standing up is Geoffrey. My big sister Kautounie isn't here right now, she left early this morning mumbling something about repairing your damaged armor," Neo chided, " boy, you sure can sleep, it's nearly afternoon, if you're interested. Anyway, it's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Meta Knight, but I wish it could have been under better circumstances."

The young healer bowed her head, and made a polite gesture with her hand in greeting. Meta Knight was blank for a moment. He hadn't seen or heard from a zwetoock, let alone a Redsun, in ages, not since the great wars, anyway. As best he could in his current condition, Meta Knight mimicked the greeting.

"My mother told my sister and I stories about you when we were little cubs. When Nightmare corrupted the dragons and turned them against those they were to protect, she told us that a masked swordsman with a golden blade fought along side the pack and defeated the evil corrupting our beloved dragons," Neo stated excitedly, "and you certainly match the description she gave us."

She stopped prattling on to much more. After all, Meta Knight probably wasn't in the mood for recounting war stories at this time. However he was surprisingly tolerant of the little Redsun. Whether it because she had just saved his life, because he knew her mother, or perhaps because he had gotten plenty of practice with Tiff and her little brother Tuff, was uncertain.

"What happened to me? How did I end up here?" Meta Knight asked, unconsciously holding his right arm closer to his body.

"You were nearly eaten alive by angry hell hounds. According to Tiff and Kirby, you killed the pack's alpha male, Balor, after he challenged you to single combat. But Glasya didn't take to kindly to you killing her mate and ordered the rest of the pack to attack." Neo explained, "It's a good thing we found you when we did. Balor had poisoned you with his bite. That, and you've got some nasty burns, you were terribly ill, and you lost a lot of blood. To be honest, I'm surprised you're still alive. Most people die from the poison within fifteen minutes, I've seen some last as long as twenty, the lucky might last thirty, but you endured if for nearly an hour and were still putting up a fight."

As Neo explained the events of that night to her patient, Kirby blinked his eyes sleepily. He thought he had heard Meta Knight's voice. Kirby wriggled out of the still sleeping Tiff's arms and trotted as quickly as his feet would carry him to where Neo and Meta Knight were talking. Noticing Kirby at her feet, Neo gently plucked the pink puffball up and set him next to his mentor. A smile formed under Meta Knight's mask. He was happy to see the child he had grown so fond of, but his guardian instincts quickly took over. Kirby could have easily gotten himself killed.

"Kirby, you disobeyed a direct order." Meta Knight scolded.

Lowering his eyes in shame, Kirby let a very saddened 'poyo' escape from his mouth.

"But I'm glad you're okay, my little friend." said the older warrior.

Relieved that he wasn't in too much trouble, Kirby settled down next to Meta Knight. Although the bigger warrior wouldn't think of admitting it out loud, the sight of Kirby happy was cute in a way. Showing indifference to the child's company, he didn't shrug his apprentice away. Instead, he set his sights on Sword Knight and Blade Knight.

"They were so worried about you, Meta Knight. It was almost adorable! The two of them were watching over you all night long. They were still awake when I got up," Neo explained, "I told them to get some sleep."

Kirby nearly rolled off the bed when Meta Knight shifted under his covers. He may have resembled a mumbie in his current state, but there was work to be done.

"I thank you for your kindness, Neo, but I'm afraid there are duties I must attend to. There are Demon Beasts in Dreamland once again and-" Meta Knight started as he attempted to sit up.

His eyes dulled as he closed them in pain, grasping his stomach. Before he could hurt himself further, Neo and Kirby both gently pushed him back down into the soft pillows. Kirby shook his head, paired with more of his soft-spoken gibberish and made a gesture, pointing down towards the bed where Meta Knight was resting.

"He's right. You're not going anywhere in your condition. So why not just lay quiet and be happy your still alive?" Neo suggested.

Meta Knight didn't like this one bit, he felt vulnerable and weak. Ignoring Neo and Kirby, Meta Knight tried to get up once again, only to be pushed back, this time much more firmly by his healer.

"Must I tie you to your bed?" Neo asked, sternly.

The warrior and healer glared at each other, neither one willing to back down. Meta Knight may have been strong, but Neo could be just as stubborn. One thing he did have to admit, he hadn't had this good of a staring contest in a long time.

"Just listen to her, Meta Knight, it'll be easier on you. Trust me," said Geoffrey, startling both Neo and Meta Knight, "she's done it before. I know from a first hand experience."

Sighing heavily, Neo approached Geoffrey, "I thought I told you to get some sleep. I'm more than capable of taking care of Meta Knight now."

Blinking and trying to hold back a laugh, Geoffrey joked that he could clearly see that Neo had everything under control.

"Hence why I had to bind you when you were hurt and refused to listen to me." Neo grumbled, crossing her arms.

All she got from Geoffrey is response was a wise ass grin, the sort he did just to annoy the people around him. Meta Knight's eyes turned pink for a moment, like they usually did when he found something amusing.

"Stay put!" Neo snapped, not taking her amber eyes off of Geoffrey, but still somehow knowing Meta Knight was making a third attempt to get out of bed, "I've been nursing sick and injured warriors back to health before I even knew how to speak. Trust me, I've learned all their tricks and escape ploys."

She trailed off into unintelligible yips and mumblings, like she usually did when she didn't want anyone to know what she was saying. However, the zwetoock's smile dropped when Meta Knight answered her right back, in her native tongue no less.

 _"_ _How dare you accuse me of being... cute, and your other word choices were not so... courteous. Does Tamoko know that you talk like that when she's not around?"_ Meta Knight asked, a slight smile forming beneath his mask

While Neo's skin turned bright red under her chocolate colored fur, Geoffrey fought harder to hold back his laughter. She may have been a feisty cub, but nothing could have prepared her for this.

"Well, I...uh... you just stay put!" Neo stammered, waving her finger in the air in scolding.

Like it or not, she was beat, and she knew it.

"Round one goes to Meta Knight," Geoffrey commented, jokingly, "but now you're in for it, buddy. She's gonna go on a power trip, just watch." he added in a whisper, leaning closer to Meta Knight.

Meanwhile, Sword and Blade nearly fell out of their seats, waking with a start. The two jerked awkwardly for a moment, then settled down when they saw they where right where they had been the night before.

"That was some strange dream I was having, I could have sworn someone called Sir Meta Knight an adorable – Sir Meta Knight, you're awake!" Sword said, completely forgetting about his first sentence.

Meta Knight's two most loyal followers checked anxiously to make sure he was doing alright. Neo was thankful for this, as it took the subject off of her defeat. Getting over her earlier embarrassment, Neo smiled at the sight of Meta Knight with his two squires and Kirby. They were almost like a family. It reminded her of the close bond she shared with Kautounie and Geoffrey. However, her smile quickly turned to a frown when Meta Knight refused to take 'no' for an answer. He sat up once again, ignoring the pain and the protests from Sword, Blade, and Kirby. That was the last straw.

"That's it!" Neo declared, holding her hands in the air.

Sword Knight moved out of the agitated healer's way as Neo swept closer to Meta Knight's bedside. She reached out with her hand and began stroking Meta Knight's shoulder in a circular motion. At the very minute she started, Meta Knight began to relax and his eyes flickered a contented blue. The zwetoock continued, moving lower down his back once she saw that her plan was working. All the while, Neo was speaking in a low mumble, that although difficult to make out, was very comforting to listen too.

"Oh... oh that feels... very good..." Meta Knight purred as he lay back down.

Blade and Sword couldn't believe their eyes. There was the ever noble and dignified Star Warrior, succumbing to Neo's healing touch, unable to stop himself from letting out a few pleasured moans. His eyes went dark again, signaling that they were closed.

"Alright, listen up. If you don't stop fighting with me, you're going to spend the next week right here. If you choose to cooperate, I'll see if I can get you out in two days." Neo stated, checking over her patient once more to make sure none of his bandages were seeping due to multiple attempts to 'escape', as she put it.

With a heavy sigh and some prodding from Kirby, Meta Knight finally agreed to let Neo and the others take care of him, just as long as she kept her word about releasing him after two days. (And in private he mentioned that he wouldn't mind another massage either.)

"Lets see if you behave first," Neo said, firmly, "I've got some medicine brewing for you, it'll help with the pain." she finished, before turning back towards the fire place where she already had a small kettle heating up.

Meta Knight glanced to Kirby once again, who was slowly drifting back to sleep. He warned his apprentice not to get to comfortable, as he wasn't planning on a prolonged stay. All he got for an answer was a softly spoken 'poyo' while the little puffball nuzzled closer.

"Don't mention this please, people will think I've gone soft." Meta Knight sighed.

"Not a peep, sir." Sword and Blade said, in unison.

"Mention what?" Geoffrey asked in mock confusion, pretending like he hadn't seen anything.

A small, unseen smile spread behind Meta Knight's mask. He gave Kirby a gentle pat on the back before making himself more comfortable. Meta Knight's eyes flickered pink again and he let out a soft laugh as he overheard Sword and Blade muttering amongst themselves. Something about knowing what they could do when he got 'grumpy'.

"One of us can distract him, and the other can sneak up and give him a shoulder rub. You saw, Miss Neo had him purrin' like a kitten. That would be enough to get out of his intensive training exercises." Sword whispered to Blade.

The shorter knight nodded, then looked back at Meta Knight with uncertainty. Something about the glint in the Star Warrior's eyes told them he had heard all he needed to hear.

"Hmhmhm, good luck with that!" Meta Knight chuckled softly.

Neo set a mug, full of what could be described as a cross between tea and a healing potion, she had prepared for Meta Knight next to him on his bedside table. Though she found herself wondering how he was going to drink it, since he didn't take off that mask for anyone. Kautounie returned a short while later, promptly introducing herself to the warrior before presenting him with his cape and armor, all of which were good as new. When Geoffrey inquired about his leather duster, the playful sorceress lobbed it at him before he was ready. Already things were getting pretty interesting in Dreamland, and to think they had only been there for a night.

 **Author's Notes::** There he is, first introduction of that delightful dish of ham we like to call King Dedede. And a quick lesson on how painful the cure to a Greater Hell Hound bite can be. In case you were wondering, yes, Geoffrey was eyeing the ruby in Galaxia's hilt, but there's no way he'd admit to it.

Just a few pointers, 1, I figured Meta Knight was a guy who got around, so he would have some history with zwetoocks, in particular, the Redsuns. 2, I thought it would be just grand if Neo were to start speaking in her native language, only to have Meta Knight understand every word. By the way, the translation to what Neo said is roughly something along these lines, "You're lucky your so damn cute, you adorable bastard."  
This was also a good chapter to put in some 'fluff', as it is called.

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	4. Trouble is Brewing

In You're Nightmares, Trouble is Brewing

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Severe Cruelty to Demons.

'It's been two days since our accidental arrival in Dreamland and we had our encounter with the hell hounds. It was a bloody battle to be certain, bloodier for some more than others. Thankfully, with the help Tiff and some of the other delightful characters we've met in this new world, Sir Meta Knight is on the mend. He has responded well to treatment, perhaps a little too well if that's possible. He may be a noble and fantastic warrior but he's a horrible patient to look after.'

The Thoughts of Neo Redsun

'You know, I actually have to thank Riley for teleporting us off our home rock. Had she not, I would never have met such distinguished and spectacular warriors. I must say, Kirby is the cutest thing I've seen in my life, well, besides my dear, sweet sister, that is. He's not like any great fighter I ever would have imagined, he's actually quite plush and cuddly, still only a cub. It's quite amusing to see Geoffrey and Kirby together. The poor rogue is scared of the little puff, and with good reason, I suppose.'

The Thoughts of Kautounie Redsun

'Hey, I am NOT scared of Kirby! A little cautious, perhaps...'

The Denial of Geoffrey Redsun

'So far those wayward travelers from Horva have provided a welcome distraction. Kirby's warmed up to them already, and even I can't help but find their dysfunctional family style of handling matters amusing. But I'm worried about this 'Riley' person they keep on mentioning. She can't possibly be up to anything good, especially is she's sending demon beasts to run amok over Dreamland. Thankfully, there's been no sign of the fiends, but I'm not counting on the peace and quiet for long. Surprisingly King Dedede has been very lenient with the three of them staying here in his castle, although it might have something to do with the human, Geoffrey, handing the greedy king quite a hefty sum of money. I don't entirely trust that one, he's shady and always up to something. In a way, he sort of reminds me a little of Meta Knight.'

The Thoughts of Tiff Ebrum

'I knew this day would come, sooner or later. One nightmare ends, another begins. While resting, I overheard my healer, Neo, speaking with Geoffrey and Kautounie about a powerful scroll containing ancient magic that had been taken from them by this Riley Prescott, the sorceress they claim sent the hell hounds after them. That, and I remember distinctly hearing the one called Balor say that they wanted Kirby alive. Why, I do not know... but I intend to find out."

The Thoughts of Meta Knight

*Abandoned Warehouse, West Cappy Town*

Cappies. Such simple minded folk, almost as bad as waddle dees. At least according to Riley. Since the attack on the town that had been ordered by Nightmare a few years back, the townspeople had rebuilt their homes and businesses, although a few abandoned, worn buildings still stood. This was a good thing. People tended to steer clear of these creepy places, save for the occasional child sent out on a dare.

Riley had already set herself up comfortably in her new abode. All the junk and burned rubble had been shoved into a corner, out of the way. Many of the windows were broken and there was no working electricity, but it was big and spacious, exactly what Riley needed. There was a bedroll spread out on the floor and an overturned crate set up as a desk, which Riley hadn't left since she had arrived at her hideout. She snarled with annoyance, tearing a now useless page out of her spell book. So far every attempt to copy the Resurrection Spell had been a failure.

 _'Come on, sissy, you've been at it for two days straight, let one of us take over'_ Fey whined, her voice tinged with boredom.

"No!" Riley growled, whipping her head to the side, as if she were speaking to someone beside her.

The witch sighed heavily, fingering the ballpoint pen in her hand and glancing up to the burned roof of her lair.

"They really knew what they were doing when they made this scroll. It cannot be copied successfully, so I've got one shot at this."

 _'You mean "we" have one shot at this."_ Weston corrected.

Sighing, Riley acknowledged her brother. She then looked to the doors of the crude hideout. It finally dawned on her. Two days, and Balor and his pack still had not returned.

 _'Capturing and Imprisoning the Star Warrior is far too risky. Let me out, Riley. I'll kill Kirby myself and we'll be done with it!"_ Growled Weston, angrily.

Giggling softly, Riley explained, "Dear brother, for all your brawn you haven't much brain. It was in little Kirby's dreams Lord Nightmare was slain. Only from his dreams, can I raise Lord Nightmare from death."

The demoness jumped and grabbed her staff when she heard a sharp noise from the outside. Hastily, she snatched up the Resurrection Scroll and safely stored it away. If it was those cappy kids pulling their stupid jokes again, she'd be certain to give them a fright they would never forget.

 _'If you get tired, you know where to find us, sissy,'_ Fey laughed in the back of Riley's mind.

To the mage's relief, Glasya, Spitfire, and Lucifer gracefully leaped through the broken window on the north side of the building. At first she was pleased to see her hell hounds, but her happiness quickly turned to bitter anger. Balor was no where to be seen, nor was the rest of the pack. Then she saw the wounds plaguing her beasts, by far the worst one being the scar Glasya bore and her blinded eye.

"Alpha Glasya, report! Where's Balor? And what of our little pink friend?" Riley demanded.

"There were... complications, my lady. Balor... has been slaughtered." Glasya whimpered, hanging her head in shame.

Now Riley was outraged. Her most prized demon, was gone.

"It was those bastard Redsuns, wasn't it?"

"No, but they played a part. It was Meta Knight, my lady."

At the sound of the name, Riley froze.

"What?" she hissed.

"We had Kirby in our grasp, then he showed up. That accursed Star Warrior damn near killed a third of the pack by himself, the only reason he didn't kill more was because Balor's poison finally began to take effect. Then the Redsuns showed up." Glasya explained.

At Riley's hard gaze, Spitfire and Lucifer cowered in fear. Glasya continued with the rest of that night's happenings, ending with the retreat she and the remainder of the pack had to take.

"Meta Knight took both my husband and my eye, your ladyship. But, if I may be so bold... you have something that... can bring Balor back," Glasya said, taking a nervous step forward, "he was always faithful to you, even before you bound him."

A cruel smile spread across Riley's lips. Indeed, Glasya was far to bold.

"Ha! Do you honestly think I'd waste this spell on a minor demon lord? No, Glasya, this spell can be used only once. We cannot alter the plans! Resurrection is only to be used on the Great Lord Nightmare. I'll just summon more demon beasts for you to command. End of discussion!" she snapped, whipping around.

Glasya growled dangerously. Her good eye flashed angrily, then she charged forward, jaws wide open, hoping to catch Riley off guard. The witch twisted around, giving the greater hell hound a mouth full of wrought iron staff, knocking the beast to the ground. When Glasya tried to get up, she found herself unable to, as the once invisible and ethereal chains began to reform on her body, weighing her down, choking her. Riley stooped over the writhing creature and pointed her staff downward.

"You forget Glasya, you are mine! As long as you are mine, you're kind belongs to me as well. Now then, I am willing to promote you to the status of Pack Alpha now that Balor is dead. Can you handle the responsibility? I currently have the means to conjure Wolfwrath. Would you like him to take command instead?!" Riley snarled, tightening the ethereal chains around Glasya.

When she could take no more, Glasya gave in and her bonds let up, becoming weightless and invisible once again.

"Let that be a reminder to you all!" Riley warned, eying Lucifer and Spitfire with contempt.

The hell hounds hastily bowed to their mistress, terrified of what she'd do next if they didn't.

"What orders, my lady?" Glasya gasped, finally regaining her breath.

"We stick to the plan. We take Kirby alive, alive and unspoilt. As for the others, do with them as you please." Riley stated.

First things first, Riley knew she was going to need more troops. Unfortunately, with all those nosy cappies sniffing about, summoning them was going to be tricky. She'd have to set up some protection to keep unwanted eyes from prying. A storm was coming, and when it struck, all of Dreamland would feel it's wrath.

*Castle Dedede, Improvised Infirmary*

It was late in the afternoon when Tiff entered Meta Knight's improvised recovery room, Kirby at her heels, only to find the blue puffball out of bed, donning the last of his armor. Silently, he turned his golden gaze to the pair. Meta Knight looked considerably healthier, thanks to Tiff's and Neo's healing skills. The only injury that was still bandaged was where Balor had bit him. Neo was standing by his side, giving Tiff a shrug when she walked in. A promise was a promise, and it was clear to the both of them that Meta Knight would not tolerate staying still any longer.

"You are both admirable healers, but I must continue Kirby's training," Meta Knight exclaimed, turning on his heel and heading out the door.

He beckoned for his apprentice to follow. After a quick glance to Tiff, Kirby bounded after Meta Knight in a quick trot. Neo sighed heavily as she left the room and closed the door behind her to join Tiff.

"By the will of Sundar, that guy's a stubborn old goat." Neo grumbled, crossing her arms.

Tiff just giggled at Neo's statement. She may not have used those exact words, but it still got the basic point across.

"You learn to live with it," Tiff sighed, in the sort of way that told Neo she has had to put up with it for a while now.

The two girls followed after the two star warriors, presumably because they had nothing better to do at the time. They walked in silence through the maze-like corridors, finally making it out to the castle courtyard. It was a gorgeous day. The soft rays of sunlight emphasized the pastel landscaping of Dreamland, nearly making the beauty of the surrounding area shimmer.

Castle Dedede's courtyard was quite large, with a beautiful garden and magnificent fountain in the center. Though it appeared that Meta Knight wasn't the only one with intent to train. Already Kautounie and Geoffrey were sparring with each other, (or playing very roughly, one cannot be certain).

Both sorceress and rogue stopped their play fight to greet Meta Knight and Kirby.

"Nice to see you doing so well, Sir Meta Knight." Kautounie greeted, flexing her sharp claws, "and you too, Kirby."

Geoffrey simply nodded in agreement with Kautounie, then backed away as Kirby approached. The little pink puffball was more curious then anything else. His bright, innocent eyes sparkled as he looked up to the human.

"Poyo!" he said happily, in his own unique greeting.

"Ummm, yeah, poyo to you too..." Geoffrey muttered.

This of course, did not go unnoticed by Meta Knight or the girls, the later of which were giggling.

"Still nervous around pink puffballs, are we?" Neo inquired.

"Relax Geoffrey, Kirby's still just a baby." Tiff said, gently patting Kirby on the back.

Geoffrey couldn't believe his ears. A baby? Honestly?

"Yeah, so what you're telling me that they can kick your ass when they're infants, and then that's what he's going to be when he grows up?" he asked, gesturing towards Meta Knight.

Tiff just shrugged and nodded. It may not have been exactly right, but it was close enough.

Neo and Kautounie pulled Geoffrey away to the sidelines, as they had already interrupted Meta Knight and his student long enough, and the older warrior's patience was wearing thin. Tiff stayed closer to the two of them. Meta Knight's training methods were often harsh and unforgiving, but arguably effective.

He threw Kirby a sword, which stuck into the ground in front of the little pink puff's feet before drawing Galaxia.

"You should know what to do, Kirby. Fight me!" Meta Knight challenged.

Kirby took the sword and yanked it out of the ground. He was unstable in his first few steps, but quickly regained his balance. For the last few months, Meta Knight had not been allowing Kirby to use his inhale and copy abilities during training. Instead, he focused on building up the smaller warrior's stamina and strength. The smaller puffball had improved greatly, but the encounter with the hell hounds proved Kirby still had much to learn.

Being the chivalrous type, Meta Knight let Kirby have the first attack, which he easily dodged. Every time his apprentice took a swing, Meta Knight blocked or dodged the blow.

"He's attacking to much in the same pattern, he's got to mix things up, make the opponent think to hard," Geoffrey commented, "then again, I simply prefer using a gun or a knife in the back." he added, more so to himself.

Whether he heard and understood Geoffrey's comment or not, Kirby began mixing up his strikes, trying to take Meta Knight off guard. It was like watching a dance of some sort. The two were locked in combat until a forceful strike from Meta Knight sent a rather exhausted Kirby flying backwards. The little warrior recovered, but he was panting heavily.

"You have the right idea, little one. You just need better execution. Now then, again!" Meta Knight ordered, slashing the air with his blade.

Although tired and battered, Kirby did as his mentor commanded and came at him for round two. The two clashed swords once again, this time in a much faster flurry of attacks and dodges.

"He's training him too hard again." Tiff sighed, watching as Kirby was flung across the grass.

"No, I see what's he is doing," said Kautounie softly, from behind Tiff.

Startled, Tiff looked over her shoulder to the older of the two sisters.

"Meta Knight is pushing Kirby to build up his strength. When you're on the battlefield, the enemy cares not if you're tired or have no weapon. They will simply kill you and be done with it. Meta Knight is grooming Kirby to be the best warrior he can possibly be."

"Funny, Meta Knight himself, Sword, and Blade have all told me the same thing. I guess I just feel so protective of Kirby I don't really want to believe it." Tiff admitted, as Kautounie sat down beside her.

"No one likes to see loved ones in pain. I felt the same way when Neo was being trained for battle. My kind train in much the same way, although for the first year or so, material weapons are forbidden and we must use only the weapons the Great Dragon provided us with." Kautounie explained.

At Tiff's questioning look, Kautounie showed the curved, wicked looking claws on her paws and bore her sharp canine fangs.

"Just watch, Tiff. Kirby's a tough little guy, and he's got spirit. It may not seem like it from here, but I can tell that Meta Knight adores Kirby dearly, and he pushes him so hard because he loves him."

Tiff remained silent, although Kautounie's words still ran through her head, as she turned back to watch the training battle.

Meta Knight and Kirby stared each other down, and both were breathing heavily. The latter of the two had several small cuts over his round pink body. Determined, the smaller warrior dashed for his mentor once again, only to be sent tumbling across the turf.

"Stop trying to hit me, and hit me!" Meta Knight growled, whipping around in a flourish.

Kirby's eyes shone with new determination. If that's the way he wanted it... fine. In a surge of speed, Kirby sprang from the ground with a mighty battle cry. He collided into Meta Knight and sent both of them rolling across the ground. At first, the old veteran didn't notice, then he looked down to his right arm. The bandage that had still been wrapped around it was on the grass beside him, and there was a clean cut from where Kirby had struck. Kirby looked a little uneasy. Technically his mentor was still recovering from Balor's bite. Meta Knight got to his feet and approached his student, his yellow gaze boring into the smaller warrior.

"Well done, little one." Meta Knight said to Kirby, after an uncomfortable silence.

"Told ya," Kautounie muttered to Tiff, patting the girl on the shoulder.

While the two warriors took a breather from their training fight, Neo and Tiff saw to their injuries. Neo couldn't help but be a little irritated. She had just finished patching Meta Knight back up.

"It is fine, Neo. I wanted him to strike me with all his power. Kirby needed to attack my weak spot, and he did." Meta Knight explained, trying to calm the irritated healer down.

After the break, Kirby and Meta Knight began sparring, this time without weapons. For these training exorcises, Tiff had actually joined in. Whether to watch over Kirby since things got a bit rough during the last training battle or to better her own fighting skills, she wasn't telling.

Unable to sit still any longer, Kautounie and Geoffrey picked up where they left off on their own match. (Eh, play fight?) When things began to get too rough, Neo would heal the combatants before sending them back into the fray. The training continued until it was nearly sunset. Kirby and Tiff looked exhausted, but Meta Knight seemed just fine and ready for more.

"You have done well, that is all for today." Meta Knight said flatly, before walking away towards the castle.

It was almost as though after the first couple of steps, he just vanished. While Neo and Kautounie did a quick search, Tiff and Kirby took it all in stride. The old warrior was notorious for disappearing and reappearing in the oddest places.

"That guy is beginning to scare me. He's sneakier then I am!" Geoffrey commented.

"That's Meta Knight for you," Tiff sighed, smirking up at the rogue.

The small group remained in the courtyard a short while longer, although only Tiff and Geoffrey seemed to notice that they were being watched. Keeping an eye on the new tenets from a few floors up was none other then King Dedede and his slippery purple snail-like adviser, Escargoon.

*A few floors up, overlooking the Courtyard*

"Sire, why are you letting those three brats run amok in your castle? They could be dangerous, especially since they spend most of their time hanging around with Kirby, Meta Knight, and Tiff." Escargoon inquired, narrowing his eyes as he looked down at the three newcomers with suspicion.

"Them brats paid me a mighty fine hunk of cash to let them stay here. Besides, I think I might like to hire them and keep them on, particularly the zwetorks or whatever it is they is called." King Dedede bragged.

Sighing heavily, Escargoon asked, "did you ever wonder where they got the money in the first place, your highness? "

King Dedede froze in his train of thought. Whether it was Escargoon's question or the thinking that made him freeze, no one could say. But the answer was indeed, 'no'. The thought never once entered his head.

"Well, ahem, we'll jus' have to keep an eye on them, and by we, I mean you!"

Escargoon let a startled gasp escape his mouth. He considered arguing, but usually all that got him was a powerful strike from the king's mallet over his head. Great, now he had to spy on a gun nut and two sorceresses. What could possibly go wrong?

*Later that Evening in the Dining Hall*

During dinner, (or lack thereof once Kirby had decided to use his inhale after being unable to reach the dinner rolls), Geoffrey found himself wondering where Kirby put everything he ate, considering his small size. Tiff on the other hand, grumbled with annoyance.

"I thought you would have learned table manners by now, Kirby! Tiff scolded.

While Tiff trailed off into an annoyed tirade, Kautounie's ears perked at the sound of scuttling feet. She left her seat, crouched to the ground, then sprang forward into a pounce towards the noise. It wasn't until she stood back up that everyone could clearly see the rat tail sticking out of her mouth before gulping it down.

"What?" she asked, realizing all eyes were on her.

"You were saying about Kirby's table manners?" Geoffrey asked, turning to Tiff with a raised eyebrow.

After dinner, (and a show), Geoffrey left to one of the castle's many balconies overlooking the courtyard. He perched on the stone ledge, in much the same fashion that Meta Knight would. There was a cold breeze hanging in the air and clouds were slowly covering up the stars in the horizon. Down below he could see Sword and Blade, roughhousing in the grass, in a similar way he and Kautounie would play. It was then that Geoffrey realized he was not alone.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked softly, nearly causing the rogue to loose his balance.

A small chunk of the old stone crumbled from beneath the teenager's feet. He quickly regained his footing and felt his heart rate return to normal.

"Geez, you scare me to death..." Geoffrey groaned, glancing to the pink puffball.

He and Kirby stared at each other for a while before Kirby's liquid eyes and innocent smile finally won him over. The rogue gave in and invited Kirby to take a seat beside him. Kirby was more then happy to oblige. They stayed in silence for a while, looking up to the sky.

"It's probably silly of me to be so nervous around you, considering we're on the same side and all," the rogue muttered, breaking the silence.

Kirby simply blinked at Geoffrey and nodded his head.

"You know you're a very good listener. Just don't let anyone, especially Tiff and the ladies, know I actually admitted I was nervous around you. Then again, you are a warrior of very few words."

He reached out and scratched Kirby behind the shoulders, where he enjoyed it the most. The little puffball closed his eyes and leaned into Geoffrey's hand. Meanwhile, the rogue could sense that another pair of eyes were on them. It wasn't Meta Knight. Nope, you didn't see him until he wanted you too. That only left one other possible explanation.

"Escargoon. You're too close and breathing too heavily! Try backing up a few paces and hold your breath if you have to!" Geoffrey called out, still not taking his gaze off the sky.

The purple snail-like being balked as he came out of his hiding place from behind some furniture in the room leading out to the balcony occupied by Kirby and Geoffrey. He looked a bit shaken. How exactly did Geoffrey know where he was?

"Look, I save my bullets and blades for monsters, there's no reason for you to spy on myself or the ladies." Geoffrey sighed, "Besides, I paid that royal pai – uh - I mean majesty, everything's cool."

"I don't exactly know what you three loonies are all about, but I can tell when someone's up to no good! I know, considering I do it a lot myself!" Escargoon ranted, before covering his mouth before he let anything else slip.

Geoffrey continued scratching Kirby's back, a smile on his face as he looked down at the royal advisor.

"Trust me, it's not us you need to worry about..." he said, dropping his smile as the storm clouds grew darker as they came closer, "Riley is planning her next move... I can feel it, and pretty soon, we all will."

He looked up to one of the castle's many towers and could vaguely see Meta Knight perched at the very top, cape wrapped tightly around him. Great minds really do think alike.

*Back inside the castle, Redsun's room*

Kautounie and Neo didn't mind the sparse room that they had rented. Heck, just having a bed was a luxury, considering where they had been before being transported to Pop Star. As long as there was a warm fire to curl up beside, the girls were happy. All their backpacks and gear were placed by each of the three beds accordingly, and their favorite weapons were where they could easily be reached. Tiff was with them as well, taking a keen interest in Neo's spell book.

"Go on, I'd like to see you try. Here's a real easy one, Magic Missile. It's a simple, but effective combat spell." Neo mentioned, nudging Tiff with her elbow.

Tiff shook her head, nervously. Never before had she cast a spell or preformed magic of any sort. Well, perhaps summoning the Warp Star for Kirby, but that was different.

"You're strong, Tiff, and you've got a good heart, but you lack confidence in yourself." Kautounie pointed out as she stood up, "It takes many things to cast a spell, but the most important are intelligence, stamina, and will. Go ahead, Tiff, give it a shot."

Intelligence, huh? _'Well'_ Tiff thought to herself, unwittingly tapping her fingers anxiously on the book's pages. Many had considered her to be the smartest person in Dreamland. Perhaps it could be fun.

"Alright then... "Tiff sighed, standing up, spell book in hand.

It was crazy, but what harm could it do? She waved her hand in the gesture depicted on the pages and spoke aloud, " _mirria!_ "

The young girl had quite a shock when a faint, small dart of light sprang fourth from her hand, headed straight for Kautounie. With a wave of her hand, the older zwetoock dismissed the spell and it faded into nothingness. Tiff felt a little strange afterward, like she had just done a few laps around the entire castle.

"Not bad for a first try! You know not everyone can simply cast a spell from the pages of these books," Neo commented, "we ought to know, Geoffrey can't so much as get a single spark to fly from his finger."

"Wow, that was... different, but I feel like I just ran for a mile." Tiff panted.

Kautounie and Neo were quick to explain that it was the stamina used while casting and that with practice, it would build up. Had it not been for her training with Meta Knight for all those years, it was quite possible that she would have passed out, even from such a simple spell.

"Hey Tiff, I'd like you to have this, as a token of good will and our friendship,"

Kautounie handed the girl a small, leather bound book from her back pack.

Tiff gratefully accepted the book and examined the cover. It had no words written on it, only the sigil of the Redsun Pack, a Great Dragon holding the Sun. She opened it, and couldn't believe her eyes. It was another spell book.

"That's my old spell book, but I don't use it any more. I've been waiting to find someone who could put it to good use. There's a few healing spells, Aid, Magic Missile, Fire, and a few others I can't remember, along with some empty pages." Kautounie mentioned, "I know how much you love to read, Tiff. Go ahead, dabble around, have some fun. If you run into a jam, we can help you sort it out. Eventually, you wont even need the spell book to cast."

"Thank you, both of you. But... why would you give me something so valuable and ask for nothing in return?" Tiff asked.

"Because we like and admire you. You've been kind to us, you've helped us out greatly since our arrival here.. It is a gift, keep it." Kautounie said, softly.

Tiff smiled brightly. This certainly was not the first time she had assisted new comers to Dreamland. Her thoughts drifted back towards the day when Kirby had first crash landed in Cappy Town. She was his first real friend.

The remainder of that evening was spent going over the different spells and their qualities. Aid, would allow the caster to transfer a part of her strength into an ally during combat. Dazzle created a blinding flash that would momentarily stun adversaries. Magic Missile, Tiff had discovered it's properties all on her own with a little prodding from the sisters. Light Cure, a simple healing spell that took care of minor scratches and abrasions. And finally Fire, a self-explanatory spell that summoned a small flame when called upon.

When Geoffrey came back after a few hours or so, Kirby happily bounding by his heels, he couldn't help but notice all the small scorch marks on the walls and carpet.

"This ain't coming out of my part of the rent, I'll tell you that right now!" Geoffrey warned.

Naturally, Kirby didn't care one way or another. He was just happy to be engulfed in a tight hug by his big sister. The two zwetoocks muttered and laughed quietly to themselves, commenting that Geoffrey had gotten over his fear of the little pink warrior. Then it came time for explanations.

"So, care to elaborate what you've been doing while I've been making people wonder what I do at night?" Geoffrey asked.

"Sorry, we were just dabbling with the spells, teaching Tiff a thing or two, and I guess we got a little carried away." Neo giggled, slowly and rather nervously.

Geoffrey nodded in understanding, crossing the room to his bed and sitting down. He took off his coat and placed his largest handgun and a set of clawed steel gauntlets on the table beside him. It was only then did it register in his mind what he had just heard. Dabbling with spells and Tiff, used in the same sentence.

"Wait, while I was getting some fresh air and having a little bonding time with my new buddies, you were teaching Tiff how to cast spells?"

"Yeah, I actually managed to do it first try." Tiff bragged, smiling, although it quickly turned into a frown, "wait a minute, buddies?" she asked, scratching the wriggling Kirby on the shoulders.

"Well, Kirby for one, we had a bit of a conversation, guy to guy. The other was Escargoon. He was spying on us, unsuccessfully I might add, so I gave him a few tips. I have the slightest twinge in my heart that our resident dish of ham and cheese doesn't exactly trust us." Geoffrey exclaimed, putting a glock pistol and cartridges on his already growing pile of weapons.

How did he carry all of them? Where did he put them all? Tiff found herself wondering this since she first met him. The rouge got up from his bed and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes. This strange practice still baffled Tiff.

"Well, have a good night, ladies."

The sisters saw Tiff and Kirby off as they returned to their family's apartment. Tiff held her spell book tightly in hand. Wouldn't the rest of her family be surprised had they known what she just did. She couldn't wait to study it further, but that would take a rested and clear mind. If she had to take a guess at what time it was, she'd have to say midnight or later. Although she couldn't help but wonder if the king and Escargoon were up to their old dirty tricks again or if they were just being paranoid.

*Perch on the castle tower*

Meta Knight stared into the distance, his eyes flickering bright green as he was deep in thought. The wind began to pick up, forcing Meta Knight to wrap his cape more tightly around himself. Suddenly, with the grace of a cat, Meta Knight leaped from his perch, onto the balcony below, and finally down into the courtyard where Sword and Blade were still playing, heedless of the storm closing in. At the sight of their master, the two knights immediately straightened up.

"Sir Meta Knight!" the two knights acknowledged.

"Come with me." Meta Knight ordered quickly, brushing past the Sword and Blade.

Without question, Sword and Blade followed. They left the castle, down the winding dirt road, and past the field where the battle with the hell hounds had taken place a few nights earlier. Meta Knight's pace quickened as his group reached the small settlement known as Cappy Town. Being so late in the evening, the streets were deserted and only a few dwellings still had lights on, leaving the three of them to travel in peace. Meta Knight made a sharp left, closely followed by his subordinates.

"Sir Meta Knight, what's going on, exactly?" Sword asked, quietly.

Meta Knight shushed his fellow warrior, then gestured to the old, abandoned warehouse that stood before them. The three warriors took a few steps forward, then suddenly stopped. It was a strange feeling that none of them could shake. As soon as Meta Knight approached, he turned around and left, without any recollection why. Just as confused, his squires did the same.

Meanwhile, watching from the inside, Riley eyed the three knights carefully, hand gripped tightly on her staff.

 _'Let me out, Riley. I can take them all.'_ Weston whispered in the back of her mind.

' _You'll have your chance soon enough, brother. But we cannot give away our hideout. Tomorrow, it will not matter. But tonight, we have a lot of work to do.'_ Riley answered, mentally.

She knew her brother was itching to fight those three knights, one of them a Star Warrior, no less. But now was not the time. Her Unnoticeability she had cast earlier that day had worked, albeit barely. Glasya trotted closer to the window, fur standing up on the back of her neck and molten fangs bared.

"That's the bastard! That's the one who took Balor and my eye!" she snarled, narrowing her working eye towards Meta Knight.

"Patience, Glasya. If he is what I think he is, I know of a fate far worse then death for him. But I can't take all the credit, Fey thought it up." Riley stated, listening to her little sister laugh maniacally in the back of her mind.

She ran her finely manicured hand down Glasya's head and neck, causing the greater hell hound to flinch. Finally, the three knights were out of sight, leaving Riley and her demons to breathe a sigh of relief.

*Outskirts of Cappy Town, road back to Castle Dedede*

"Sir Meta Knight, what was that all about?" Sword asked, still baffled about what had happened not to long ago.

"Strange to ome' all dis' way an' not even ook' in'ide." Blade added.

Meta Knight couldn't help but agree with Sword and Blade. He too had felt the same repulsion, but what exactly it came from, he could not say. It was something unnatural, that much could be certain, but he had completely forgotten why he took his two warriors down there in the first place. Unconsciously, Meta Knight gently stroked his bandaged sword arm, his eyes glowing bright green. With no explanations (and no real clue, to be honest), Meta Knight and his men returned to the castle.

*Back and Riley's Hideout*

Now that the armored intruders had gone about their way, Riley set about her business. She flicked her hand, creating a small orb of light which hovered just above her head and illuminated her study area. The witch poured through one of her favorite spell books, the one featuring the Nightmare Enterprises symbol prominently on the front. She had admired Lord Nightmare for many years, and she had even gotten a hold of the plans to some of his fiercest monsters since his untimely demise. Riley had since used those 'blueprints' as the core of the many summoning spells contained in the book.

"Demonology, I love it!" Riley purred quietly to herself.

Ice dragon, Octacon, Blocky, Bugzzy, Scarffies, all fine demons to be certain, but by far her favorite was none other then the original hell hound.

"Wolfwrath..." Riley whispered, "Also known as Chillidog, these powerful beasts are capable of taking out an entire army of star warriors. Keep away from water. Handle with caution, does not take well to training. Hmph, we'll see."

Glasya growled angrily, letting her displeasure known. Ignoring the demon, Riley released a heavy sigh before beginning the spell. She had to be quick and bind Wolfwrath before he could escape and run on a rampage. The sorceress began chanting, gesturing with her hand and speaking strange, garbled words that would have made no sense to a common person. As the spell progressed, the air in the room became hotter and dryer as a rift, filled with flames of Hell itself opened in the floor. The fires swirled and danced, before taking the shape of a huge, wolf-like monster.

Wolfwrath was more beautiful then Riley could have imagined. Large paws ended in thick, sharp claws. His fur was deep fuchsia, with a lighter pink ruff around his neck. A green gem was set into the forehead and savage yellow eyes scanned it's new surroundings. Six spikes, three on each side, lined the great demon's back.

Riley didn't have time to admire her new pet for long. As soon as the demon had been summoned, Wolfwrath made a break for it. Glasya, Lucifer, and Spitfire were quick to interject on their mistress' behalf, only to be punished by the beast's sharp claws. However, that minor distraction bought Riley all the time she needed. Wolfwrath yelped and struggled as ethereal chains wrapped around his neck and mouth first, then began to tighten around his legs. Wolfwrath's eyes blazed, as did the gemstone centered on his forehead. He tried to breath his fiery breath, but he couldn't with the chains binding his muzzle.

"You wont like what I do to bad dogs, so I suggest you surrender to my rule, Wolfwrath. You are mine now!" Riley hissed, forcing the struggling and confused canine to the floor.

The battle of wills continued for a few minutes longer, then finally Riley could feel Wolfwrath's consciousness flow into her mind. It had worked. The vicious beast had been successfully bound. The chains seeped into the demon's body, releasing the weight and pain. Wolfwrath shakily rose to his feet, gazing at his new mistress.

"Come!" Riley commanded.

Without hesitation, the beast shuffled to her and sat down, awaiting further orders. Riley laughed heartily, stroking her new pet on the bridge of the nose. Glasya and her pack circled the demon beast, unsure.

"How will we know where to find Kirby? He hasn't come out of hiding since the... incident." Glasya asked.

"Nightmare's demons are programed to sniff out that little pink puffball. With Wolfwrath here, we'll have no trouble locating out dear little friend." Riley explained, scratching her newest pet behind the ear.

There wasn't much time to fawn over her success. Work must intervene and much was left to be done. She would need more then a single demon beast. With a wave of her hand, a small number of regular hell hounds had been conjured, and without needing explanation, they joined Glasya. Riley couldn't take a chance this time. She only needed her summoned monsters to buy her time. If she wanted Kirby, she'd have to take him herself.

 **Author's Notes::** Alrighty, mostly training and plotting in this chapter, sort of a calm before the storm if you know what I mean. We also have our first introduction of Escargoon, who is not to happy with the job he's been given.

To sum things up, we've got Geoffrey having bonding time with Kirby, and as we all know, things tend to get crazy when a bunch of teenage girls get together, especially when there's spell books thrown into the mix. Enjoy the calm while it lasted, because shit is gonna get real in the next chapter.

I chose Chillidog/Wolfwrath for Riley mainly because that's my favorite monster/demon from the Kirby Anime. Me, liking a fire breathing wolf? Total shocker, I know.

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	5. Stuff Just got Real

(Original title censored, as per 's rules. *guilty face*)

In You're Nightmares, Shit Just got Real

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Moments of Total Badassery.

'Wow, who'd have thought I had it in me, huh? Last night was a real eye opener when the Redsun sisters encouraged me to try casting a spell out of their books. As a gift, Kautounie gave me her old spell book. I'm not sure if I should let my family or even Meta Knight know. Perhaps I'll surprise them.'

The Thoughts of Tiff Ebrum

'You know, it seems when I actually do things the honest way, that's when people think I'm stealing. Right now the king's got that snail of his skulking around, spying on myself and the ladies, albeit poorly. It's actually rather amusing. It helps take my mind off the lurking darkness hovering in the horizon. I have this bad feeling Riley's going to make herself known to Dreamland sooner then any of us could have anticipated.'

The Thoughts of Geoffrey Redsun

'I find my thoughts drifting back to the events of last night. I wasn't the only one, Sword and Blade felt it too. Sorcery perhaps? The scroll, Kirby, and those three kids from Horva, it must be intertwined. Kirby must be ready to defend himself when the time comes. Already I sense a fight coming, and it's going to be bloody.'

The Thoughts of Meta Knight

*Castle Dedede, Courtyard*

Unlike the previous days, the skies were dark and cloudy and although only afternoon, it already looked well into evening. Thankfully no rain had fallen, although bright flashes of lightning lit up the sky every now and then, followed by the loud rumblings of thunder.

Terrified by the sudden noise, Kirby buried himself into Tiff, trembling.

"It's okay, it's only an atmospheric discharge, nothing to be afraid of." Tiff whispered, wrapping her free arm around the little puffball while still keeping her nose in the book Kautounie had given her.

Even though Tiff's words comforted him, Kirby couldn't help but remember the demon-beast Kracko, the one-eyed monstrosity that hid in a storm cloud and attacked with savage bolts of lightning, and by the looks of things, she too was remembering that battle with Kracko as well. Tiff, Kirby, and the three Horvians were waiting in the courtyard for Meta Knight to begin Kirby's training for the day.

"Ten minutes. He wont show until after ten minutes." Geoffrey mused, running a hand through his messy black hair.

"Nah, I say it'll be five or less." Kautounie countered.

She and Geoffrey stared each other down, then shook hands, both with identical, confidant, smirks.

"What are they doing?" Tiff asked, looking up from Kirby.

"Betting." Neo sighed.

"On what?"

"You'll see soon enough," Neo muttered, giggling slightly.

The skies began to get darker still and the thunder increased. But bad weather was no excuse to skip training. If anything, it was better for Kirby to learn how to fight in less than ideal conditions. While Kautounie and Geoffrey trash talked each other (in a playful, sibling sort of way), Tiff put her book away to give Kirby some much needed encouragement.

"You'll do great! I know you'll be able to beat Meta Knight this time." Tiff said, earning a bright smile from her adorable little friend.

"Not gonna happen, Kautounie..." Geoffrey's loud, cocky voice suddenly carried over, completely disrupting the mood Tiff had been trying to set for Kirby.

The loudmouthed rogue turned his head to look over his shoulder, "Oh, hey there, Meta Knight..."

He turned away, only to realize what he himself had just said, "Holy shit!"

His usually dexterous feet tripped over his own duster, sending him sprawling across the damp grass, all the while Tiff and the sisters had a good laugh. Geoffrey tripping, now there was a rare treat to see. Meta Knight stood just a few feet away from the group, cape wrapped around his body, unblinking eyes staring at the human in particular.

"What is the matter with you, Geoffrey?" Meta Knight asked, in his usual accented voice.

The rouge stammered and gaped, looking to Kautounie, (yeah, like she had anything to do with this) then back to Meta Knight. How could someone wearing steel plate armor possibly be sneakier then himself?

"Can we put a bell on this guy or something? Geez!" Geoffrey exclaimed, regaining his footing and standing up.

"Three minutes..." Kautounie snipped, snapping her fingers before holding out her paw-like hand expectantly.

With a groan, Geoffrey flipped the sorceress what appeared to be a gold coin, but she snatched it out of the air so fast no one could get a good look at it. Smiling, Neo nudged Tiff with her elbow.

"Oh... I see." Tiff said, to Neo.

Now she understood what was going on. Perhaps she and Neo should have joined in on the action. Meta Knight on the other hand didn't care much that wagers were being placed on him, there was work to be done. He beckoned to Kirby, who glanced to Tiff nervously. There was something about the elder Star Warrior's posture and attitude that told Kirby this training session was going to be brutal. Little did he know just how brutal it was about to get.

With some encouraging words from both Neo and Tiff, the smaller pink puffball approached his master. Meta Knight unfurled from his cape and tossed Kirby a sword, as he usually did before the two of them dueled. This time however, instead of the sword sticking into the ground, Kirby leaped into the air and caught it, landing on his feet. He struck a pose, ready for the fight.

"Nice move." Tiff commented.

"Well, if you're gonna kick ass, you might as well look good while you do it," Neo stated, "that's something Geoffrey used to tell me," she added at Tiff's questioning look, "I for one agree."

Meta Knight didn't say anything, although he did give a small nod in approval toward his apprentice. But now it was time to see if he could keep it up. Kirby and Meta Knight stared each other down, then Kirby made the first strike. Just like the day before, the two warriors danced in a series of sword clashes and graceful movements, although this time Meta Knight attacked even more fiercely (if that's even possible). In a swift motion, the older warrior spun around, creating a small but very fast tornado with his blade, forcing Kirby back.

"Wow, that was cool." Kautounie exclaimed, quite impressed by Meta Knight's Mach Tornado.

Meta Knight hardly ever used his special attacks during training. Kirby had predicted that this session would be rough, but hardly like this. Nevertheless, the little puffball started back into the battle before his mentor could tell him too.

"Wait, stop!" Meta Knight shouted, holding out his hand.

Kirby was terribly confused. His mentor never halted training. Had he done something wrong? He was terrified that he had somehow angered Meta Knight when the blue puff's eyes blazed crimson. At that same time, Neo and Kautounie sensed something as well. Both zwetoocks pinned their ears back against their heads and let out low, rumbling growls.

"What's going-?" Tiff began, then she saw that the Waddle Dee guards were raising the drawbridge and taking their battle positions upon the wall.

"I'll go take a look," Geoffrey said, donning his steel-clawed gauntlets, "you ladies stay here."

The rouge sprinted across the grass to the castle walls, then scaled them like a spider. His clawed gauntlets made gripping the old stone easier and within moments, he was on top of the wall, looking out over the hill and into the field. Geoffrey glanced to his left, to find that Meta Knight was already perched beside him, eyes still glowing red.

"Hey, how did you-? Oh never mind." Geoffrey grumbled.

In that short time, the sky had darkened so much it looked as though it were nighttime, and the lightning flashes and thunder increased. But that was the least of their worries. Shuffling around below, trying to find a way into the keep, were not one, not two, but three huge, wolf-like beasts with deep fuchsia fur, big teeth, and bigger claws.

"Wolfwrath? But how?" Meta Knight gasped, "three, no less!"

"You know of these things?" Geoffrey asked.

Meta Knight nodded, although there was no mistaking that he was afraid. So far, Geoffrey had never seen the old warrior look scared, and if he was scared, these things, Wolfwraths, must be more terrible then he initially thought. Come to think of it, the thief had seen a beast like the ones below... but-no! That couldn't be right!

Snapping out of his confused thoughts, he and the elder Star Warrior studied the beasts from their vantage point. They didn't seem to care much for the moat surrounding the castle, and that was probably the only reason they were not already inside. One of the monsters looked up, the gem in it's forehead blazing. Then, just as quickly, all three beasts retreated into the growing shadows.

"Wait a minute, Wolfwrath does not behave like that... " Meta Knight mused.

"Unless someone's controlling them... possibly-" Geoffrey cut himself off mid sentence, there was only one person he knew that could flawlessly control demonic fell, "Riley... Shit!" he cursed

The two of them leaped down from the castle wall onto the soft grass below. Kautounie bounded forward on all fours to Meta Knight and her brother while Neo and Tiff stayed behind with Kirby.

"What is it?!" Kautounie snarled, standing to her full height and sniffing the air.

She could catch the scent of another canine, an unnatural one at that.

"Wolfwrath, three of them!" Meta Knight announced.

Neo didn't like the sound of that, she had read a fair deal about the beast, but never had to fight one before. Tiff and Kirby tensed up, knowing exactly what Meta Knight was talking about.

"Wolfwrath? How? Kirby killed that monster!" Tiff shouted.

"Well, apparently there's more then one!" Geoffrey pointed out," because we both just saw three of them sniffing around outside the castle."

In the blink of an eye, Kautounie grabbed Matilda from her back and pumped it. Geoffrey could tell by the look in her eye that she was looking forward to a fight.

"I haven't fired Matilda in a while, and I've got an itchy trigger finger." Kautounie growled.

"There is no time, get inside, quickly!" Meta Knight ordered, "Wolfwrath is an extremely dangerous demon beast!"

"That's not all!" Neo warned, pointing up to the sky.

Storm clouds swirled in a black vortex, growing darker and darker still. A thin shadowy mist slowly drifted downwards, becoming thicker and thicker as it moved. Kirby trembled fearfully as the dark entity crept closer, slithering through the air like a serpent. Tiff did her best to comfort the little warrior, but she too was terrified.

"She's already here!" Geoffrey shouted.

Tiff scooped Kirby and his sword up and bolted for the inner keep of the castle, closely followed by Neo and Geoffrey. Kautounie on the other hand, waited outside, ignoring Meta Knight's warning, shotgun in hand.

"Quickly, Kautounie!" Meta Knight urged.

"Don't tell me we're running away from a fight!" Kautounie snarled, whipping her head around when a crack of lightning followed by loud thunder that shook the grounds.

"Kautounie, think of it as a tactical retreat! Now get you're tail over here!" Geoffrey shouted.

Grudgingly, Kautounie followed the others into the safety of the castle keep. Lucky for them, no real fight had actually begun. She took one last look over her shoulder, at the now completely blackened sky.

Meta Knight stayed close to Tiff and Kirby. He had to protect them at all costs, even more so since he already knew Riley wanted Kirby alive.

"Keep your sword close, little one!" Meta Knight warned his apprentice.

Just then, there was a loud snapping and crackling sound, and the castle went dark, save for the torches and other sources of light other than electricity. A large shape could be seen in the darkness coming towards them. Meta Knight flashed Galaxia and Kautounie aimed Matilda, but both lowered their weapons when, to their relief, it was only King Dedede.

"Hey! What's goin' on here? I done and paid my electric bill! And what's goin' on with this here weather?!" the king grumbled angrily.

"You're majesty, if you've still got that hammer of yours, now would be a good time to bring it out!" Neo warned as she and her group passed.

Stammering in confusion, the portly king followed after them. Obviously they knew something he didn't. They turned into the throne room, closing and barring the door behind them. As Neo had suggested earlier, King Dedede armed himself with his mallet.

Suddenly, the king yelled and began swinging his mallet in a violent barrage. Geoffrey and Meta Knight rushed forward, sword and claws of steel at the ready. However, a pained groan in a familiar voice told them that this was not one of Riley's demons.

"Wait, sire! Stop, it's only me..." Escargoon pleaded, crawling out from his hiding place behind the king's throne.

King Dedede didn't look like he believed the snail, and raised his mallet to strike again.

"Ummm... guys!" Tiff called, fearfully.

Black smoke and smog slipped through the closed door, just before knocking it off it's hinges. Slowly, it formed into a feminine shape. As it got closer, the sound of the woman's stiletto boots echoed across the polished stone floor. The smoke became more defined, and the witch Riley stood before them. She wore a long, elegant red evening dress. Her long blonde hair was tied back as she usually kept it. She held a wrought iron staff in her hands, topped with the head of a deadly viper. Riley's face twisted into a smile, the sort that told everyone she meant business.

"What do you want, bitch? Whatever it is, it's between you, me, and the ladies! Leave them out of this!" Geoffrey shouted, gesturing towards Kirby and his companions.

Riley gaped for a moment. Just like the rouge to be so rude!

"Why so hostile, thief? I come peacefully."

Tiff couldn't believe what she had just heard. Peacefully? Yeah right!

"So that's why you let your monsters maul me and my friends?!" she challenged.

"Get out of my throne room! Get out of my castle right now before I call security on you!" King Dedede demanded, pointing with his free hand to the door.

Riley laughed softly with a playful glint in her eyes.

"Oh, you mean this security?" she asked.

With a flourish, the witch waved her staff, and a small, dead body appeared on the floor in front of the king. He gasped audibly, looking at what was once his Waddle Doo General.

"You... you..." stammered the king.

"He got in my way... "Riley hissed.

Escargoon looked like he was about ready to faint as he snuck around behind the king as Riley's glowing red eyes fixed on him. But he was of little importance. Tiff was defiant, and she would need to be dealt with. Next to meet her gaze was Meta Knight. The warrior steeled himself and stepped in front of Tiff and Kirby, Galaxia at the ready.

"You... Sir Meta Knight cost me my best Hell Hound." Riley growled, gracefully stepping forward.

"That's close enough!" the elder warrior warned.

It was too late, Riley had already seen what she needed too. Still in a bit of a fearful daze, Kirby blinked up at the sorceress with sparkling blue eyes. He didn't look at all threatening. He was tiny and barely had a grip on the sword he was holding. But one thing Riley had to admit, Kirby sure was cute.

"Who's the little one? Aren't you going to introduce me? Sir Meta Knight, Geoffrey, Kautounie, anyone?" Riley huffed, lightly trailing her fingers down the serpentine head of her staff, "Where are your manners?"

"Enough, Riley! You're here for a reason, spill your guts and get the hell out of here!" Kautounie growled, "before I actually spill them for you!"

With a heavy sigh, Riley took a few steps back and paced, not taking her eyes off the angry group before her.

"Very well, Redsun. I want Kirby of the Stars!" she said, gesturing with her staff, "and I want him now!"

"Well you're not having him!" Tiff shouted, "so why don't you just go back to where you came from?!"

Riley's eyes narrowed dangerously. The half-demoness wasn't about to justify herself to this little twit. No, she had come too far to turn back now. Suddenly, the witch's smile returned and she made another gesture with her hands.

"I know you're there, and it wont do you any good." she snarled, her eyes shifting slowly.

Without much warning, Blade and Sword were dragged from their hiding places and forced to the ground in front of Meta Knight. Naturally, the older warrior did not take kindly to this.

"S-sorry master... we were...tryin' to-" Sword stammered.

"How cute, but this is beginning to bore me. Hand over little Kirby and I'll go!" Riley demanded.

"Lock and load, bitch. We're not giving up without a fight!" Kautounie challenged.

Riley sneered at the defiance in front of her. Meta Knight and his two squires, even Tiff and Kirby looked ready to put up a fight, and King Dedede was absolutely furious. Neo whipped out her wand and Geoffrey brandished his clawed gauntlets.

"It was very foolish of you to come here alone!" Meta Knight growled, his eyes glowing deep crimson red.

"This is where you make your biggest mistake, Sir Meta Knight. I am NEVER alone! And if you wont willingly hand over your sweet little apprentice... I guess I'll just have to take the master instead!" Riley hissed.

Meta Knight didn't even have time to react as burning, ethereal chains snapped about his body, collapsing him to the floor in pain. He couldn't believe what was happening to him, he could feel Riley's will forcing itself upon his own. The harder Meta Knight struggled, the tighter the chains became.

"Sir Meta Knight!" Sword and Blade shouted in unison.

"Forget... about me...!" Meta Knight grunted through the pain, "protect Kirby..."

Riley fought hard to gain control of Meta Knight. Even Wolfwrath wasn't this much a problem. Only now that it was too late did she see why the Great Nightmare himself could not control Meta Knight's iron will. The warrior got to his feet, breathing heavily and quivering against his bonds. With a burst of strength, Meta Knight broke the ethereal bonds binding him. The witch screamed in pain as the chains snapped, their links clattering to the floor, then vanishing. She failed. For the first time, her Binding spell failed. Meta Knight quickly regained his fighting stance, narrowing his eyes at Riley.

"Sir Meta Knight!" Neo cried, worriedly.

With a flick of her wand and a quick word, she had restored Meta Knight's spent stamina, though not before giving Riley a dirty look.

"For a little blue puffball... you're... pretty tough. Balor would have done well to steer clear of you," Riley gasped, "but enough is enough! Fey, Weston, your up!"

Maniacal laughter filled the darkened throne room as a young child, no older than maybe a six or seven year old child, appeared beside Riley. She looked to be human, although the two goat-like horns jutting from her forehead told a different story. The child, Fey, was dressed in gray and purple robes, armed with a small dagger. Her brother, Weston, materialized on the other side of Riley. Unlike to two women, he was big and bulky, more than six and a half feet tall, covered head to foot in coal black plate armor, carrying a shield with a gray lion emblazoned on it and a wicked looking morning star.

"About time you let us out, sis!" Fey snapped.

"Fey and Weston? Damn, I thought she was making those two up!" Geoffrey commented.

Sliding from the darkness, surrounding the group, were all of Riley's faithful Hell Hounds, lead by Glasya. The three Wolfwraths had also appeared, each one with Riley and her siblings. Riley ran her hand through her Wolfwrath's soft fur in a taunting manner. Smog and smoke was heavy in the air, although Riley, Weston, and Fey were unaffected.

"I'll slaughter them all!" Weston announced, in a deep, raspy voice.

"I want Kirby alive, brother. If any of you kill him, you'll answer to me!" Riley warned.

The standoff continued for a few minutes longer. Now Kirby and his team were heavily outnumbered. But surrender was not an option. Kirby quickly inhaled his sword and transformed, donning a green cap with a little gold puff at the end of it. He jumped out of Tiff's arms and held his sword aloft in challenge. He was now Sword Kirby. Tiff took the opportunity to pull out her spell book, better a little something then nothing at all.

"So this is how it's going to be then?" Riley asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"If this is the way you want it, fine! Sundar, protect us" Kautounie hissed, taking the first shot.

Matilda's roar echoed throughout the throne room. The shot pellets ripped into Riley's Wolfwrath, Riley herself, and Fey. When Kautounie readied her trusty shotgun for another round, she was answered with three blasts of fire from all three Wolfwraths. The zwetoock ducked out of the way, summoning a shield of ice, although not before feeling the last of the flames destroy her shield.

Sword Knight and Blade Knight stepped in front of Meta Knight to protect him against Weston. Before they could unsheath their swords, Riley had pulled them out of their scabbards with a telekinetic force. The two swords hovered in front of her, then they began to strike all on their own. Sword and Blade could only use their armored bodies to block their own weapons as they were wielded against them. All the while, Weston advanced, twirling his deadly spiked weapon. Meta Knight and Sword Kirby quickly intervened, fending off Riley's two 'dancing swords'.

"You are a coward, Riley!" Meta Knight shouted, in between the clangs of steel, "you hide behind those you imprison and control!"

"Hmph, that's rich coming from someone who hides behind a mask and cape!" Riley retorted, backing away from Meta Knight's and Sword Kirby's advance.

Meta Knight was angered by the half-demon's insult, but he had to keep his mind in the battle. He couldn't afford to loose his temper.

"Sword Kirby... like we trained!" he commanded.

Sword Kirby gave a quick nod to his mentor. The two of them battled side by side beautifully, forcing Riley's dancing blades back, nearly causing them to slice into Weston as the witch's control over the swords began to waver. Both blades clattered to the ground as her concentration was broken by cold, steel claws painfully tearing down her back.

"Gottcha, bitch!" Geoffrey whispered.

Riley let out an inhuman snarl, twisting around and colliding her iron staff into Geoffrey's head, sending the rogue sliding across the floor. It would take more then a cheep shot from behind to take her out.

Thinking quickly, Neo used her own telekinetic spell to rearm Sword and Blade, before the hell hounds could devour the two of them. In a flash of flame and smoke, three hell hounds went down, permanently.

Now Meta Knight and Sword Kirby found themselves up against the large upright tank called Weston Prescott. He didn't seem to care to much about Riley's orders. With a heavy grunt, the behemoth took a swing with his morning star. Sword Kirby ducked out of the way, following up with a slash, which only scratched the warrior's thick armor plating. Meta Knight on the other hand, took the full brunt of the attack, and was sent into one of the pillars in the throne room, the stone cracking with the force from which he had struck. As the older puffball struggled to his feet, Galaxia clutched in his hand with a death grip, he found himself face to face with Weston's Wolfwrath.

"Kirby, Meta Knight!" Tiff called.

She flipped through the spell book's pages as fast as she could, while Neo and King Dedede fended off the hell hounds. Finally, Tiff found it, Magic Missile.

"What good's a book gonna be in a battle, girlie?!" King Dedede inquired, earning a pained yelp from the hell hound he had just made a permanent part of his flooring.

"You'd be surprised!" she shouted back.

Just as she was beginning to cast, Tiff felt a sharp pain in her hand, then she realized something had cut her. Looking up from the spell book, Tiff saw Fey, standing uncomfortably close, with fresh blood on her knife. Even worse, her Wolfwrath looked like it hadn't been fed in a while.

"Hehehe, you're Tiff right? Great game my sissy has going here, right? Want to play with my new doggie? Her name is Fluffy!" Fey giggled, in a sadistic playful fashion.

Tiff didn't have time to ponder the evil, little, goat-horned girl's sadistic taste in playtime, or the cute and cuddly name she had given to a monster. Not when said monster lunged, jaws wide open. Tiff dodged and rolled out of the way, all the while listening to the excited cackling coming from Fey.

"Try harder, Fluffy!" Fey called, "Bite her, fry her! Hehehehahahaaa!"

Tiff knew all to well what happened to anyone bitten by this terrible demon beast. Even Meta Knight had trouble with Wolfwrath. Fluffy reared up on her hind legs, charging up a ball of fire, aiming right for Tiff.

"Hang on, girlie!" King Dedede shouted swinging his hammer under the beast's chin, forcing it's jaws closed.

"Nice shot, sire!" Escargoon complimented from the safety of his hiding place, behind the throne.

Fluffy yelped in surprise and pain, tumbling backwards across the throne room. Tiff couldn't believe what happened, the greedy king that she had ridiculed for years (granted, with very good reason), had just saved her from the jaws of a Wolfwrath. As the beast began to rise to her shaky paws, the aspiring magician shouted aloud _'mirria'_!

A small dart of blue light sprung from her hand, pelting Fluffy in the chest. After the Magic Missile was cast, however, Tiff felt exhausted and collapsed, holding the book close to her.

"Oh... so you're a spell caster too, are ya? Haven't been one for very long, huh? Even such a simple spell drains you of all you insey, weensy stamina." Fey taunted, "serves you right for hurting my Fluffy! That's cheating."

*Geoffrey's battle*

Meanwhile, on Geoffrey's side of the world, the rogue was coming to after Riley slammed him hard into the floor. His vision was a blur, all he could see a large, red furry thing looming over him.

"Kautounie?" Geoffrey grumbled.

Nope, not Kautounie, rather Riley's Wolfwrath. He could tell by the small, bleeding wounds on it's face from where Kautounie had shot it.

The beast swatted the human with it's powerful claws, tearing through his coat and drawing blood. Stupid animal! Kautounie had just fixed that!

Next, Wolfwrath pinned his prey to the ground, baring his sharp teeth. Still unable to see clearly, Geoffrey tore into Wolfwrath with his steel claws, eventually wrapping his hands around the demon's muzzle as it attempted to bite him. Now the two of them were at a bit of a stalemate. The thief couldn't afford to let loose his grip, but at the same time, the sweltering heat that came from Wolfwrath's mouth as he charged up his fiery breath began to heat the steel surrounding his hands.

"Ah... shit!" Geoffrey grunted.

His vision was slowly becoming clearer and he could see the full extent of his predicament now. It was obvious to Geoffrey that he wasn't going to get any help from the others, as they were all tangled in their own battles. Tiff and the king continued their fight against Fey and her... Fluffy. Meta Knight was recovering from his own injuries and facing down Weston's Wolfwrath, while Sword Kirby continued his duel with Weston himself. Sword Knight and Blade Knight fended off the normal hell hounds, which were proving to be a rather large nuisance to Kautounie and Neo, as they were doing their best to get in the way of the two sisters and preventing them from assisting their companions against Riley's nastier beasts.

Geoffrey could feel his grip on Wolfwrath's muzzle loosening, even as his claws dug into the beast's flesh. He could see Riley, standing clear of the battle with a subtle smirk on her face, clearly enjoying the bloodshed. In a daring move, the rogue removed one of his hands from Wolfwrath and reached for the nearest gun he carried, all the while being mangled by the angry beast's claws. The demon finally broke free of his grasp and opened his mouth. Geoffrey got a hold his his handgun, shoving it into Wolfwrath's red hot mouth, heedless of the danger contained in the monster's fangs. As soon as Wolfwrath's fangs broke the thief's skin, he could already feel his body seizing up from paralysis. But if Geoffrey was going down, he was taking this thing with him.

"Bad dog!" Geoffrey growled, before pulling the trigger four times.

The Wolfwrath didn't even have time to think as the bullets ripped through the back of it's skull, spilling blood and brain matter to the floor. It fell off to the side, then vanished in a flash of flames. Once the demon was slain, Geoffrey felt his movement return to normal. He ripped the fang out of his arm, pocketing it as a trophy, then got to his feet, albeit shakily.

*Meta Knight and Kautounie*

Meta Knight grunted and held up his sword against his own Wolfwrath's strike. He was still a bit dazed from Weston's previous attack, but that didn't stop the old Star Warrior.

Feeling the pain of Galaxia tear into his flesh, the Wolfwrath backed away, snarling and lashing it's tail. The demon reared onto it's hind legs, it's mouth, eyes, and green gemstone glowing with power. It unleashed a stream of flames, which exploded into a fireball around Meta Knight. Thankfully, Galaxia was able to absorb the fiery blast, although previous injuries were making this fight more difficult.

"You!" snarled a familiar voice from behind the knight.

Meta Knight could see the form of Glasya out the corner of his eye. She didn't look quite as he remembered her, as the Alpha Hell Hound had a huge scar starting from her neck and ending at the tip of her left ear. Her mismatched eyes narrowed as she snapped to the Wolfwrath, ordering the beast to begin his next attack along side her.

"I want my husband back, you bastard!" the Alpha howled before charging Meta Knight.

If that's the way she wanted it, fine! Perhaps he could make the other eye match. As both beasts attacked, breathing their scorching flames, Meta Knight twisted around at high speed, forming his Mach Tornado attack, forcing the dogs in different directions. When Glasya and Wolfwrath came back for another go, the later of the two was tackled out of the air in a bold move by Kautounie. The zwetoock's amber eyes blazed in fury, her hands and mouth already covered in sticky, blackened blood, some of it from her own wounds. Her claws ripped into Wolfwrath as she sent a static charge into it's body, momentarily stunning the beast. Kautounie let go, bounding to where Meta Knight stood and drew a blade of her own, an eighteen inch long machete.

"I can't let you have all the fun, Sir Meta Knight!" Kautounie scoffed, licking the blood off her muzzle.

"Just like you Redsuns, sticking your noses where they don't belong!" Glasya roared angrily.

The Greater Hell Hound lashed at Meta Knight with her clawed paws, then snapped with her jaws. Meta Knight could see the black ooze dripping from her molten fangs, knowing all to well what her toxic bite could do. Glasya took a bite, although she only got a painful mouthful of Galaxia. As she struggled against the pain, her claws tore off the bandage that had been binding Meta Knight's arm. Recovering from the attack and spitting out blood from her mouth in disgust, she looked upon the scar left behind.

"Well... I guess a small piece of my beloved Balor will stick with you forever..."

Kautounie hissed loudly, swinging her machete in an exotic and graceful fashion as she engaged Wolfwrath in battle. Already she had knocked out a few of the beast's teeth and left some long gashes on it's body, but this thing didn't know the meaning of giving up, much like the two warriors he was fighting.

Glasya dashed around Meta Knight, concealing her movement in a blast of smoke and flame. The warrior's sword strike missed this time, but only barely. Kautounie and Meta Knight regrouped, facing Glasya and Wolfwrath as the two beasts charged.

Seemingly reading each others' minds, the zwetoock sorceress shouted in her native tongue, summoning a jet of boiling water, while Meta Knight leaped into the air and swung his sword downward, creating a shimmering sword beam. Glasya hastily rolled out of the way of the sword beam, although she got a painful splash of Kautounie's scalding water. Wolfwrath on the other hand took the full brunt of the sword beam and scald. The beast yowled in pain and collapsed to the floor before being swallowed up by the hellfire from whence he had came.

"We make a pretty good team, Sir Meta Knight. I can see why my people were proud to fight by your side." Kautounie commented, glancing to the masked swordsmen.

Meta Knight nodded once to the young zwetoock. However, to his dismay, Glasya had already fled from the battle. Typical hell hounds. Always brave in packs, but when alone, total cowards. But there wasn't time to ponder where the Alpha Hell Hound had gone too. Kirby, Tiff, and yes, even King Dedede looked like they could use some help. Without a word, Meta Knight sprinted forward to assist his apprentice, while Kautounie bounded towards Tiff, the king, Sword, Blade, and her sister.

*Kirby and Weston*

There was the sickening sound of cold iron spikes smashing into stone. Sword Kirby jumped out of the way, slashing Weston's armor in the process. With a grunt, Weston yanked his morning star out of the floor and readied himself for the next strike, holding his shield out in front of him.

"You fight with honor, small one. That's why you will loose!" Weston growled, breaking loose into a flurry of angry swings.

Sword Kirby ducked, dodged, and rolled out of the way of Weston's attacks, but he couldn't keep it up forever, and he knew it. Normal sword strikes did nothing against the blackened knight's armor, so, that meant there was only one more thing to try. With a mighty battle cry, Sword Kirby jumped up and slashed his sword downward, creating a gorgeous sword beam of his own. The force of Kirby's strike knocked Weston to the ground, making a very loud 'clang' from the armor he wore.

"Poyo!" Kirby panted, defiantly, holding his sword gracefully and preparing for the next attack.

Weston hadn't been expecting such a powerful strike from a little puffball. A fierce, red aura began to surround the fighter as his anger rose to it's boiling point.

"Weston, I said alive!" Riley ordered from the sidelines.

"You... have just unchained the Great Gray Lion!" Weston snarled at Kirby.

Ignoring his sister's orders, Weston erupted into a rage. He didn't care who or what got in his way. Kirby was going to taste the might of his morning star. When the little warrior leaped upward to try another sword beam, he saw the spiked ball at the end of the chain only inches from his head. Kirby closed his eyes, and prepared for the impact. It never came. To his surprise, he felt a silken cape envelope him in it's darkness and familiar hands grab him, holding him tightly. He reappeared on the floor behind Weston with Meta Knight, who unfurled his Dimensional Cape with a flourish. The heavily armored demon's deadly weapon was left with nothing more then stone to crush in it's wake.

"Are you alright, little one?" Meta Knight asked, concern heavy in his golden eyes as he looked down to the pink puffball still partially shrouded in his cape.

Kirby nodded once, then stepped out from Meta Knight's cape. He was more then ready to fight side by side with his mentor once again, but Weston just looked angrier then before, if that was even possible.

"How dare you steal the lion's prey!" Weston glowered.

Mentor and apprentice battled together against Weston. The black knight was lost in his own fury, making him susceptible to Meta Knight's expertly placed strikes. Following his master's lead, Kirby did the same. All the while, Weston's blood boiled. Then he saw a slight flaw in Kirby's movement and took advantage of it. In the most unchivalrous display imaginable, Weston blinded Meta Knight and Kirby with a plume of smoke and dust, formed from his unseen mouth. It was difficult to see or breathe in the cloud, giving Weston all the time he needed to slam his morning star into Kirby from behind.

With a pained yelp, Kirby tumbled across the throne room, coughing up his sword ability. His actual sword slid a little ways away.

"I told you that fighting with honor will only cause you to loose!" Weston gloated as he stood over Kirby, preparing for the finishing blow.

"WESTON!" Riley screamed, attempting to control her brother by means of her ethereal chains.

Weston ignored her spell, focusing on snuffing the life of this pathetic little creature once and for all.

"I find it hard to believe that you're the one who slaughtered the Great Nightmare..."

Before he knew what happened, Kirby timed his dodge perfectly, rolling out of the way of Weston's morning star. Avoiding the scattering hell hounds and other monstrosities still rampaging about, Kirby picked his sword back up. Thanks to Meta Knight's training, he could use his weapon even without the copy ability, although it was clear that he was getting tired and the wound he sported was bleeding onto the floor.

Just as Weston prepared his next attack, Meta Knight suddenly appeared in front of him with a flap of his cape, in between himself and Kirby. The old star warrior's eyes blazed deep crimson, showing his loathing for this fiend that dares think of itself as a knight.

"Kirby, back away!" Meta Knight warned.

With is free hand, Meta Knight grabbed the edge of his cape again, shouting, "FEEL MY POWER!"

Weston felt his body go ridged as he was ensnared in Meta Knight's cape and everything around him went completely black. Then he saw it. A brilliant flash of gold, tearing through his armored body and forcefully slamming into the floor. He didn't stop sliding until at his sister's feet. Weston's armor was heavily damaged and covered in his own, thick dark red blood. Meta Knight held up his sword proudly. Galaxia Darkness, one of his most powerful, not to mention dangerous, attacks.

"Quickly now, Kirby!" he said, gesturing towards the rest of the battle raging around them.

Not needing to be told twice, Kirby followed after his mentor.

*Riley and Weston*

The witch was furious. Her brother nearly cost her the entire plan. Riley stooped over the mangled Weston. She'd have to thank Meta Knight for giving him a well deserved lesson later, however.

"Weston... get back!" she commanded.

The glowing, ethereal chains surrounding Weston's body tightened, until the armored being was transformed into a thick black fog and flowed back inside Riley.

 _'I'll deal with you later, Weston!'_ she thought to herself.

Riley felt cruel satisfaction when her badly wounded brother shuddered in fear.

*Tiff and King Dedede*

Meanwhile, fighting on the dais where the king's throne stood, Tiff and Dedede were still locked in battle against Fey and the last remaining Wolfwrath, Fluffy. The little occultist giggled with delight at every cry of pain she heard. How delightful for Sword, Blade, and Neo to join in on the fun. There was plenty of room and the hell hounds wanted to play as well.

With a quick gesture, Neo had restored Tiff's and Dedede's spent stamina, although at the loss of some of her own.

"Now, now, Neo. That there is cheating!" Fey announced.

Neo only growled in response, placing herself between Fey and Fluffy, and her companions. King Dedede and Tiff stood on either side of the little mage, both with serious looks on their faces.

"Time for you to get this here mutt outta my throne room!" King Dedede shouted.

"Tehehe, it wasn't so awfully long ago you ordered this sort of doggie from Nightmare Enterprises," Fey pointed out, "you loved Lord Nightmare's pets at one time. Don't you want to be able to have them again?"

King Dedede was about to take a swing, then he froze. First of all, how did this little brat know about all of this? Second, Holy Nightmare was dead. Fey laughed as she could see the king struggling to wrap his mind around everything.

"You see the proof right here in front of you. Sissy can make many more doggies to play fun games like this one!" Fey continued.

While helping Neo fend off Fluffy, Tiff couldn't help but notice the horrible temptation being offered to King Dedede. He and Escargoon may not have been perfect, they still had their antics, but they were considerably easier to deal with and be around once unable to order demon beasts.

"Sire, it sounds like a trap to me, remember how Nightmare Enterprises tricked and used us?" Escargoon spouted, from the safety of his hiding place.

"I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but Escargoon's right, King Dedede! Look at what Riley's already done!" Tiff shouted.

Tiff didn't need to remind the king. All of Riley's beasts had made a mess of the place, wait, that's an understatement. More like turned his castle into the fifth ring of Hell itself! There was fire, smoke, and blood everywhere. His Waddle Dees and his Waddle Doo general. Riley had slaughtered them like animals and displayed them to him as a trophy.

"By Sundar, that guy looks really pissed..." Neo commented.

Indeed, King Dedede gripped his two ton hammer tightly, breathing heavily. Fey, who was so cocky and playful at first, called Fluffy to her side. Judging by the glares received from the king, Tiff, and Neo, Fey concluded that they had no interest in taking her offer.

"As you insist, meanie! This game ain't no fun anymore," Fey whined.

Suddenly, her appearance began to shift slightly. Dark gray scales formed, starting at the bridge of her nose. Her small hands grew sharp, curved claws and a long, prehensile spaded tail pushed out from under her robes, lashing back and fourth.

"For you, Holy Nightmare... "

Fey snapped forward with a hiss, showing her now forked tongue and truly demonic yellow and red eyes. Tiff leaped out of the way, only to fall right into Fluffy's grasp. She barely avoided the monster's horrifying bite, but she wasn't so lucky with the claws. Fumbling wildly, the girl racked her brain for a different spell. Magic Missile didn't do much, and it left her severely weakened. Then it struck her. She screamed as loud as she could, and a blinding flash of violet colored shimmering light erupted around Fluffy and Fey, momentarily stunning them.

"Well done!" Neo complimented.

Before Tiff could respond, she ducked out of the way of Fey's lashing tail. She saw a few locks of her hair drift onto the blood stained floor, showing just how close she came to being hit.

"You'll pay for that, bitch!" Fey snarled, still rubbing her dazed eyes.

"Tiff, take this!" Neo called, tossing the girl her wand, before taking the bow off of her back.

Neo swung her bow around, striking Fluffy square in the jaw, sending the Wolfwrath reeling backwards. The beast frantically rubbed it's face with it's paw from the pain. King Dedede swung his hammer wildly, every move taking him closer to Fey. In a swift motion, the little demon teleported away, reappearing behind King Dedede. She slashed once with her tail, nailing the king right in the back, before vanishing and reappearing again in front of Tiff.

"Fluffy, it's dinner time!" Fey hissed.

While she harassed Tiff and Neo with a barrage of claw strikes and tail lashings, teleporting around constantly, Fluffy shambled up the stairs of the dais, licking her chops and forming a ball of fire in her mouth. The wolfwrath reared and breathed a large streamer of flames, engulfing Tiff and Neo. The later of the two summoned her ice shield to protect against the burning heat. Already tired, Neo struggled to keep up her strength. Then, just as the shield was about to shatter from the force of the Wolfwrath's fire, King Dedede stepped in once again and gave the beast a good wallop with his hammer. Neo could not be certain, but she could have sworn the king had some sort of jet propulsion system stashed away within that mallet. King Dedede's attack struck with full force, clamping Fluffy's jaws shut and knocking her down the dais and sprawling on the floor.

This only made Fey angrier. She could hear from behind her that Riley had already recalled Weston, and now Kirby and Meta Knight were making their way up to the throne. Taking advantage of Fey being momentarily distracted, Tiff gave her a good jolt with the wand Neo had given to her. The demoness squeaked in pain and stumbled back, nearly tripping over Fluffy in the process.

"Fey, your usefulness has ended!" Riley shouted across the battlefield.

"But, no sissy, the game's not finished!" Fey protested.

Ethereal chains wrapped around the little hellspawn, forcing her back into a gray fog-like state. Fey's essence flowed into Riley's body, who quivered violently and fought to gain control of her siblings.

*Escargoon*

The slippery snail had done pretty well avoiding the battle for the most part. He wouldn't have been much use, he was the king's adviser and part time punching bag, not a warrior. Escargoon knew he'd be no good in a fight. And two of the hell hounds knew it too. While Tiff, the king, and Neo were fighting Fey and Fluffy, Lucifer and Spitfire decided to gang up on the snail, thinking him an easy target.

"Get back, you mutts! Oh... where's a shock collar when you need one..." Escargoon grumbled nervously.

Spitfire and Lucifer snickered, curling their lips into identical snarls.

"He looks tasty, don't he?" Lucifer questioned.

"Me first!" Spitfire growled, bounding forward towards the helpless snail.

Escargoon felt like fainting. At least if he were unconscious, he wouldn't feel the pain of being ripped apart limb from limb by these savage beasts. However, instead of a rush of flames, snapping jaws, and the end of life as he knew it, Escargoon was startled by a loud gun shot from the right hand side. There was Kautounie, sword in one hand, Matilda in the other. Spitfire and Lucifer yelped in pain, limping back into the shadows.

"And here I was thinking you brats -er -thieves -er, uh... thanks, sweetie!" Escargoon stammered.

He froze, terrified when Kautounie pointed her shotgun at him. Then she jerked it upwards and simply said, "I suggest you duck!"

Another loud boom, and the hell hound that had been sneaking up from behind Escargoon took a full blast from Matilda at close range. The beast was splattered across the floor before bursting into flames. Needless to say, Escargoon was grateful he had listened to the zwetoock.

"Just Kautounie will do just nicely." she mentioned coolly, blowing the smoke from her shotgun's double barrel.

Whimpering slightly, all Escargoon could do was nod.

*Sword and Blade*

Sword Knight and Blade Knight had done their best to hold off a large majority of Riley's hell hounds, and they had been doing a pretty fair job. Thick blood was spattered against their armor, and the silver of their swords couldn't even be seen with the thick layer of viscous blood coating them. It was certainly a good thing Neo had gotten their weapons back to them before they were surrounded, or, quite honestly, they would have been screwed.

"How many more of these things are there?!" Sword questioned, panting heavily.

His friend and fellow knight, Blade, was about to answer, but was waylaid by three of the ravenous demons. With an expertly placed slash, one of the beasts was forced to retreat, right into Sword who quickly slayed the fiend before it could retaliate. Another bit Blade's arm, only to get a painful mouthful of steel plate armor. The last was going in for the kill.

"Oh no you don't!" Geoffrey shouted, seemingly coming out of no where, much like how Meta Knight would, "you stupid sons of bitches!" he grumbled, gripping the hell hound's throat in his steel-clawed hands before tearing it out.

The human gave a curt nod to the two knights, before assisting them with the rest of the fiends. Things became easier once Fey was out of the mix and Tiff, Kirby, Neo, and the rest were able to dispose of the remainder of the minor fiends.

Riley still stood back on the sidelines. It was like her to send her minions into the fray to do the dirty work, only stepping in when she had no other choice. She had already recalled Fey and Weston, and the remaining Wolfwrath, Fluffy, waited by her side. Glasya, Lucifer, and Spitfire had mysteriously appeared by their mistress as well, examining the carriage.

Exhausted, but still standing, the group of heroes faced Riley, blood soaked weapons at the ready. All of them bore fresh burns, scratches, gashes, and bruises, the worst ones sported by Geoffrey, who had a close call with a Wolfwrath, and Kirby and Meta Knight, who both had more of Weston's morning star then they would have cared for.

"Bravo! An excellent spectacle. Well done, all of you!" Riley announced, in mock congratulation, "but I still want what I came here for," she added, quickly going back to her dark, serious tone.

Meta Knight stepped in front of Kirby protectively, followed by Tiff, then Geoffrey. Neo and Kautounie took their usual positions, acting as Geoffrey's and Meta Knight's guards on each side.

"Come now, I wont hurt him... much." Riley huffed, twirling her staff.

The witch couldn't help but laugh at the sight before her. It was beyond pathetic. Then a glint lit up in Riley's eye.

"Well, well, I never thought that the noble, chivalrous Meta Knight would ever be seen fighting side by side with a Collins! A Collins that fights with the Star Warriors, no less. It was such a treat to behold."

"Shut up, Riley!" Geoffrey snapped, loosing his usual cocky and sarcastic tone.

Riley's smile only widened, and she could clearly see Meta Knight tensing up at the sound of that name. Neo and Kautounie began growling deep within heir throats. Tiff, King Dedede, and the rest of the group were baffled.

"He never told you then? But I guess you could understand, especially you, Sir Meta Knight. Geoffrey hides behind the name Redsun like you hide behind your mask," she commented, "you knew his father, Gerard Collins. He fought during the great wars... for Holy Nightmare. Assassinating Star Warriors, simply because it was something fun to do on a Saturday night. Standing there right beside you is Geoffrey Collins, his son! The Serpent's Son..."

Geoffrey felt his anger about to boil over. He wanted no association with that evil man. He had used all the skills he had learned from his father against Lord Nightmare's forces and any other fiends that dared to rear their ugly heads.

"Is what she says true?" Tiff inquired, nervously.

After a deep breath, Geoffrey sighed, "Sadly, it is. My name is really Geoffrey Collins, and my father murdered Star Warriors in the name of Lord Nightmare. But from what I understand, eventually he picked the wrong one to tango with. He's dead, and I'm okay with that! Good riddance."

He wasn't saying which Star Warrior, but Tiff had a pretty good idea it must have been Meta Knight, considering the way Geoffrey was looking at him.

Neo threaded a brightly colored arrow into her bow, while Kautounie readied one of her spells.

"Not this again. There's been too much fighting, hasn't there? I only want what belongs to me." Riley sighed, gracefully stepping towards them like she was striding down a catwalk.

Geoffrey had no idea what he was thinking. Perhaps it was anger, maybe grief, or guilt even. But before he could stop himself, he grabbed his handgun out from under his coat.

"Maybe I do have a little bit of my father in me," he admitted, coldly.

In a swift motion, he swooped down to the floor and plucked Kirby up in the crook of his arm, forcing him to drop his sword. The little warrior cried out as Geoffrey's blood stained steel plated hand held him tightly, while the other pointed his gun at him, "Back off, bitch, or he's not going to be alive when you do get your slimy claws on him!"

Neo and Kautounie never expected this from their friend. No, their brother. This was the young man who had shared so many hardships and triumphs with them since they were all cubs. By the looks of things, Kirby hadn't been expecting it either. He was beyond terrified as he tried to wriggle free, but to no avail. How could his new friend suddenly turn on him like this?

 **Author's Note::** Alright, everyone. As the title says, shit's about to get real. Starts off with some lighthearted fun at Meta Knight's expense, but quickly turns into a raging battle. Geez, Riley is such a bitch! She did not just try to bind Meta Knight to her will!

Sorry about the length, as you may have guessed by now, I'm a very detail oriented person. This entire chapter is actually 19 pages long on my open office writer. Damn! Just what the F*** does Geoffrey think he's doing?! Horrible cliffhanger, no?

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	6. Revelations

In You're Nightmares, Revelations

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Riley Being a Total Bitch. (Yeah, there's a f***ing surprise.)

*Castle Dedede, throne room*

 _'How did it come to this, again?'_ Geoffrey found himself thinking as he stood, facing the shocked and angry group that stood before him. _'Oh yes, it might have something to do with you holding Pop Star's favorite celebrity in your arms with a gun pointed at his head! Idiot, what were you thinking? Oh... right, I wasn't!'_

"What is this treachery?!" Meta Knight snarled, his eyes blazing deep crimson red.

"She wants him alive, I'm making sure she doesn't get him that way. Nothin' personal. It's the family business." Geoffrey stated.

Tiff was beyond furious. How could he? She trusted him.

It only took a harsh glare from the human to make her think twice about attacking him. If any of the others had thoughts of doing anything, they were quickly dismissed by Geoffrey lightly squeezing the trigger, just enough to prove he was serious.

"Meta Knight, I suggest you back off," the thief warned, turning his gaze to the furious warrior, "can you swing your sword faster then I can pull this trigger? You so much as touch me, this gun goes off. Are you willing to gamble with Kirby's life?"

Meta Knight thought about it for a minute. He steeled his gaze, looking up to the human he had started to consider a friend. He raised Galaxia, but couldn't bring himself to strike as he looked into the eyes of his terrified apprentice.

Meanwhile, King Dedede and Escargoon found themselves wondering where this guy was five years ago. They could have used him then. But now, the two of them found themselves terrified for the pink puff's life.

"Kautounie, that goes for you as well. Point your magic finger elsewhere." Geoffrey growled.

Hissing audibly, the elder zwetoock lowered her hand slowly, although the spell contained within was not canceled.

Riley on the other hand threw back her head and laughed.

"Honestly, I would have expected this from Meta Knight. But I guess all those years with the little one has softened his heart and made him weak. Then again, Geoffrey, you are a Collins. It's wonderful to see you turning into a psychopathic murderer just like your father. Go ahead, pull the trigger. See if I care!" she dared, calling the rogue's bluff, "Will you kill him in cold blood in front of your sisters? In front of your friends? You're a good liar, Geoffrey, but not as good as your father!"

"Geoffrey, what do you think you're doing?!" Neo hissed, fighting back the tears stinging her eyes.

 _'She's right. What the hell am I doing?'_ Geoffrey thought to himself.

A small smile spread across Geoffrey's face as he gave a small wink to Meta Knight, then began speaking in the zwetoock native tongue.

 _"I know you hate me right now, Sir Meta Knight, and for good reason. But we're still on the same side. I could never bring myself to pull this trigger on one whom I call a friend and become my father. Listen, I'm not sure if we're going to get out of this fight unscathed, but we can at least give Kirby a chance.'_

Ever so slightly, he could see Meta Knight's posture change. Neo and Kautounie flicked their ears and nodded their heads. Riley had a look of pure confusion on her face. She knew they were communicating, but what, she didn't know, since she didn't speak the Zwetoock Tongue.

"Sword, Blade," Meta Knight whispered, "when you see the signal, take Kirby and Tiff and run. Find a safe place and wait for us there." he ordered quietly.

The two knaves looked baffled, but their leader knew something they didn't. Meanwhile, Kirby trembled in fear, completely terrified and confused as to what was going on.

"Everything will be fine, young one," Meta Knight assured his apprentice.

"Well, go on, what are you waiting for?" Riley taunted as she sauntered closer, "Gerard would have taken the shot by now. You're weak, Geoffrey! Nothing more than a thief in the night who plays with dogs!"

Hmph, a thief who plays with dogs. She was one to talk!

"You know, maybe I will take the shot," Geoffrey stated flatly, flashing a cocky smile.

He felt a horrible twinge of guilt tug at his heart when he felt Kirby shaking in his arms. The frightened puffball looked up to the rouge with tear filled blue eyes, quivering with fear.

"Kirby, please forgive me..."

With a sudden turn, Geoffrey pulled the gun away from Kirby and instead fired at Riley, nailing the witch at close range. While she stumbled backwards momentarily, Neo and Kautounie both cast their Dazzle spells at the same time, hurriedly encouraging Tiff to do the same. Geoffrey turned around, using his own body to shield Kirby against Riley's blindly cast spells while Meta Knight and Dedede charged the fiend.

"By the grace of Sundar, kid, I'm so sorry..." Geoffrey whispered softly to Kirby, who was still shaken by this ordeal.

Sword hastily took Kirby from Geoffrey's hands, and he and Blade did as Meta Knight had ordered. While Riley and her remaining fiends were blinded by the flashes, Neo and Kautounie urged Tiff to follow after the knights as they took Kirby to a safer place.

"You've done beautifully Tiff, but Kirby will need you." Neo explained, "I think Geoffrey's right. I'm not expecting we're going to win this battle," she added, quietly.

*Castle Hallway*

Tiff didn't even think to argue. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but Riley terrified her. She ran past the witch and her hounds as fast as she could to catch up with Sword and Blade. All she could hear were the loud battle cries, screams, and the clash of metal and steel coming from inside the throne room. Out the corner of her eyes, she caught the flash of spells being cast. Tiff didn't like leaving the others behind, but it wouldn't do any good to go back now.

"Come on, Tiff. Hurry!" Sword urged.

With a heavy sigh, Tiff joined the two knights and Kirby.

"Sir Meta Knight gave us strict orders to find a safe place to hide you and Kirby until he returns." Sword Knight explained.

Knowing Meta Knight, he had a way of homing in on Kirby. No matter where they went, when it was safe, the tough blue puffball would be able to find them. If only the thought could have been more comforting. Even as the sounds of the battle were drowned out from the distance and the storm raging outside, it sounded like her companions were loosing the fight.

"What? Kirby's not even here! Where did you send him?!" Riley's angry voice rang out, "Glasya, find him now!"

Tiff stopped with a start and looked over her shoulder. The sound of claws scraping against stone echoed through the castle halls. Haunting barks from the hell hounds and a savage roar from Wolfwrath told the small group that their pursuers were not far behind.

From the second floor of the castle, they could see Fluffy sniffing around the courtyard, occasionally breathing a puff of fire to re energize herself.

"They can't have gotten far!" Glasya barked, her voice growing closer.

"Our quarters aren't too far away. We'll be safe there." Sword suggested, glancing over his shoulder to Tiff.

The three of them quickened their pace as the stench of the hell hound smog became stronger. Finally after navigating the torchlit halls and going up another flight of stairs, they came across a large wooden door with a brass handle. Meta Knight's emblem, an M with a sword down the middle of it, was painted in the center. Blade opened the door, ushering everyone inside. He closed it just in time. A few minutes later, whimpering and scratching could be heard on the other side. During that time, Tiff flipped through the pages of her spell book, Neo's wand still clutched tightly in her hand.

"What re' you doin', Tiff?" Blade asked, in a hushed whisper, making it even more difficult to understand him.

"There's a spell I found in here last night that Kautounie must have forgotten about. It might help make those demon-beasts overlook us." Tiff whispered back.

She turned to the right page, made the somatic gestures using the wand, and spoke in strange words, _'Udonnaceemie.'_ she whispered.

Thankfully, by using the zwetoock's wand, Tiff no longer lost all her stamina after casting a single spell.

Suddenly, the scratching stopped, and all there was to hear were yips and barks of confusion.

"What the? Why are we standing around here?" Spitfire asked, his voice muffled by the door.

"Don't know, but we better keep up the search, or Glasya's going to be pissed. Mistress Riley better have a good reason for all this shit!" Lucifer grumbled, "Damn, I could have sworn there was a door right there..."

The two hell hounds glanced to each other, shrugged, (if that was possible), then shuffled off elsewhere.

"Wow, where did you learn how to do that?" Sword asked, as he set Kirby down, "I don't recall you doin' fancy... eh... stuff like that before."

"Ummm last night, I was sort of hanging out with Kautounie and Neo and they talked me into trying out a few of their spells." Tiff sputtered, quickly, "Then Kautounie gave me her old spell book, she thought I could make good use of it."

She still felt a little bit odd and uncomfortable, and was quick to explain that she could only cast any spells when she had the spell book with her. The wand just provided a much needed boost, but she had to remind herself not to get too attached, as Neo would probably be wanting it back.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked softly, nuzzling against Tiff.

Tiff knelt beside the little warrior, comforting him in her arms. So many thoughts ran through her mind. If Riley was taking over the castle, what would she do to her family? That witch had already mercilessly slaughtered many of the Waddle Dees and even the Waddle Doo General. What was happening back in the throne room? The horrifying truth about Geoffrey, the rogue's bluff, what Neo had told her. It was too much. She felt tears forming in her own eyes.

Feeling Tiff's fear, now it was Kirby's turn to comfort her. His small arms went around the girl as far as he could make them, and he spoke softly. Even if she could only guess at what he was saying, Tiff knew that whatever it was must have been right. She had to be strong for Kirby, for Meta Knight, Sword, Blade, and yes, even King Dedede.

Then the young girl noted the blood coating her hand. Kirby was still bleeding, and he had some new cuts from where Geoffrey's claws scraped him. She cast a Light Cure from the pages of her book, then set about finding anything in Meta Knight's quarters that could be used for a makeshift bandage. Luckily, Meta Knight kept everything neat and organized, from his desk, to the small but comfortable living space, to the sleeping quarters. While Sword and Blade guarded the door, Tiff had taken Kirby into the small bathroom to clean and treat the remainder of his injuries. The warm water washing away the filth and gore of the battle felt soothing to Kirby, and with Tiff's gentle touch, it didn't hurt at all. Finally, she wrapped up the pink puff's wounds with a handkerchief she had found while searching the barracks before setting Kirby down on one of the beds in the sleeping quarters. Kirby gratefully snuggled up against the soft pillows and blankets. At last he could get some much needed rest.

"Don't worry. They'll be back." Tiff said, reassuringly as the little puff closed his eyes and let sleep take him, "at least I really hope so." she added to herself quietly.

Once Kirby was asleep, she left just long enough to give Sword and Blade some medical treatment for their lesions before returning to the puffball and taking a seat on the bed beside him. Now all they could do was wait.

*Vs. Riley, round 2*

Riley hissed hatefully as her vision returned to normal. With her free hand, she yanked the bullets Geoffrey had put into her out of her body and crushed them in her hand. It didn't look as though too much damage had been done. She only looked angry. Angrier still when King Dedede's two ton hammer collided into her side. The witch shouted in pain, but before she stumbled backwards, her body shifted into black ad red mist, then reformed with flourish.

Then she took a look around. Kirby was nowhere to be seen, nor was the child or Meta Knight's two squires.

"What? Kirby's not even here! Where did you send him?!" Riley shouted.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Meta Knight snorted.

"Glasya, find him now!" Riley ordered.

Without a second glance, Glasya took off with Lucifer, Spitfire, and Wolfwrath in tow, leaving their mistress to take on these warriors alone.

"No matter, this was just to wear you all down." Riley smirked, "I'll have that child one way or another!"

"Over my broken corpse, demon!" Meta Knight shouted, twisting through the air like a drill, Galaxia held in front of him.

Meta Knight, Neo, Kautounie, and Geoffrey all attacked together in unison. First, Riley twirled her staff out in front of her, deflecting the shots from Geoffrey's now empty gun. Kautounie wielded her blood stained machete, and Neo her bow. A flick of the hand, and Neo's arrow clattered harmlessly across the floor. A swing of her serpentine staff absorbed Kautounie's strike. The clang of wrought iron and the golden blade Galaxia echoed throughout the entire throne room. Riley gazed upon Meta Knight with pure loathing in her glowing red eyes.

Just as King Dedede found the right moment to take another swing, Riley shouted in the demonic tongue, summoning huge, ghastly, boney hands from beneath their feet. The smell was the first thing that hit them. It was nauseating, like rotting corpses. Then the pain. As one of the hands clenched itself around Meta Knight, pinning his arms to his side, he couldn't help but yell in agony. Kautounie was next to be ensnared, followed by King Dedede, Neo, and last, Geoffrey.

Riley delighted in the chorus of pain sung all around her.

Whimpering from the pain, Neo struggled to cast a spell with her free hand, only to be punished by a violent squeeze and a wave of intense nausea that washed over her. Weakened too greatly, she slumped to the floor and blacked out.

"NEO!" Kautounie howled, still struggling against the summoned hand grasping her, "leave her alone!"

The more Kautounie fought against Riley's hold, the more Riley punished the others trapped in her merciless grasp.

Riley looked to each of her prisoners in turn. Come to think of it, someone other then Kirby and the before mentioned knights was missing. The snail, perhaps? No matter, Glasya and her hell hounds would find him soon enough.

First, the vile sorceress stooped over King Dedede. The once regal ruler was on his knees, with two skeletal hands, covered in rotting flesh forcing him into a bow. Slimy claws tore through the king's fine robes.

 _'Well, at least Escargoon got away, maybe he'll be able to get some help,'_ thought King Dedede.

"The only reason you are still alive, majesty, is because I find you mildly amusing." Riley taunted.

"What do you want, Riley? To torture us? To break our spirits? Guess what, you can take away everything we own, but there are some things you with all your power cannot have!" Geoffrey shouted.

The human seized up when what felt like fire shot through his body, putting him into complete agony.

"Oh, I intend to have everything you own. Your spirits, your courage... your honor..." Riley sighed, shifting her gaze to Meta Knight, "you know, Geoffrey, I was going to send you all to the Gateway of Hell back in that forest on Horva. But now that I think about it, you're already there."

The half-demoness held out her hand, and an ancient looking scroll appeared within it. She knelt down to the blue puff's level, for which he gave her an indignant and angry glare.

"You see this? You can thank those three for fetching it for me. Thanks to them, you're worst nightmare is soon to come to life, my little knight." she taunted, waving her hand and causing the scroll to vanish.

Before Meta Knight could speak, Kautounie was already hurling as many insults and curses as she had words for, in the common language and in zwetoock. Even when her bones began to fracture from the pressure being forced upon her and the sickening feeling weighed heavy in her stomach, Kautounie would not stop fighting.

Not giving up. That was a pretty good idea. Meta Knight still had Galaxia in his hand, although his arms were still pinned to his side. Despite the nauseating feeling creeping into his stomach, the Star Warrior focused what remained of his strength.

"For... Kirby..." Meta Knight grunted.

With all his might, he snapped the flesh covered, bony fingers that restrained him. Galaxia sliced through the monstrosity like a hot knife through butter.

"Yeah, get her, Meta Knight!" King Dedede cheered, only to wince when sharp, filth covered talons dug into his fleshy body painfully.

"Oh, you wouldn't hurt a lady, would you, Sir Meta Knight?" Riley asked, in a mocking voice.

"You, Riley Prescott, are no lady!" the star warrior barked.

Meta Knight advanced, stumbling slightly due to the growing sickness in his stomach. Galaxia collided with Riley's staff, sliding down the shaft and cutting into Riley's hand. With a startled yelp, Riley backed off. It wasn't like the annoying pricks from Geoffrey's bullets or the mild sting of Kautounie's spells. Galaxia really hurt, even with such a little cut.

 _'Bad move, sissy.'_ Fey whispered.

 _'Shut up!'_ Riley snapped to herself, looking to her now ruined manicure, "You son of a bitch..."

Instead of focusing her power on Meta Knight, she instead focused on tormenting those still trapped in her snare, causing them to writhe from the pain. Even Neo, who had finally came too, was punished by Riley's powerful entrapment. The harder Meta Knight battled, the harder Riley tortured her victims, and the stronger she became. Meta Knight became so exhausted it was a battle just to stand.

"You're defiance was amusing at first, but it gets old real fast," Riley sighed, holding up her left hand.

Meta Knight had a moment to see the three rings on the witch's hand, one depicting a dragon, the other a lion, and the last, a goat. With a flash of energy, ghostly projections of the three beasts formed around the sorceress and rammed into Meta Knight, knocking him to the floor and sliding right into a waiting, taloned hand. When he tried to get up, the ghoulish appendage snared Meta Knight, forcing him onto his back and held him prone.

"Meta Knight..." Neo whispered, so softly he almost didn't hear it.

"I thought that would have been enough to quiet you down, but I must admit, you've got some spirit. Very much, shall I enjoy shattering it!" Riley snarled.

Every time anyone made a move to escape, they were met with a painful jolt. Eventually it got to the point that even when they were still, she'd torment them anyway, just for fun. Neo had blacked out again, followed by the King and Geoffrey. Only Kautounie and Meta Knight were left to put up a fight, but Riley was quick to sap the last of their strength.

"It would be so much easier if you just went to sleep like the others." the half-demoness sighed, holding her staff above Meta Knight.

Kautounie snarled loudly when the witch raised her staff above her head, about ready to beat her severely weakened captive. Then she paused. Meta Knight may not be controllable, but he was still worth more to her alive then dead, much like Kirby. An idea began to form in her mind. Yes, it was perfect. With a well aimed strike, Riley butted the end of her staff into Meta Knight's temple, knocking him out. (finally). She gave Kautounie the same treatment before dragging her prisoners off to the castle dungeons.

*Castle Dungeons*

The cursed undead hands, six all together, levitated in the air behind Riley, each one dragging a different captive, except for Dedede which required two. It wouldn't be long now until the dungeon was full of the castle's inhabitants. She couldn't help but snort when she passed by the TV studio near the bottom of the stone staircase. The red 'On Air' sign above the door was turned off and there were some fresh blood stains on the floor. Riley turned a sharp left, opening a heavy locked door with a barred window with a flick of her hand.

The dungeon cells were unoccupied at this time, except by vermin that scurried out of her prescience. Riley motioned to her summoned ghast hands, and at once they dumped Geoffrey, Neo, Kautounie, and King Dedede into the largest and sturdiest of the cells. With another mental command, the chains mounted on the walls sprung to life all by themselves, shackling the unconscious prisoners. The levitating hands searched the captives, taking away any weapons, ammunition, and anything else of value they found. Riley picked through a few of the trinkets, taking a keen interest in a small vial of transparent blue fluid she found in one of Neo's pouches.

 _'This will be very useful,'_ Riley though to herself, hiding the vial within the folds of her dress.

While her animated ghast hands forced some sort of strange, foul smelling liquid down Neo's and Kautounie's throats, Riley motioned to the hand still clutching Meta Knight in it's slimy grasp, ordering it to follow her.

Riley could hear slight moaning coming from the Star Warrior.

"Shit, he's waking up already?"

Meta Knight's eyes flashed a brilliant gold as he was slammed onto the cold, stone floor. Frantically, he reached for Galaxia, only to find his scabbard empty. When he tried to sit up, the repulsive hand pushed him back down.

"Looking for this?" Riley taunted, levitating the sacred sword in front of her, "a horrid thing. No matter how hard I try, I just can't destroy it. Oh well, guess it'll just have to go into my collection of pretty relics to collect dust." she sighed, forcing the sword into the stone ceiling, (with some difficulty,) with a wave of her staff, out of Meta Knight's reach.

"Why are you doing this, Riley?" Meta Knight inquired.

"Simple, because I can." the sorceress snorted, taking the opportunity to pound the bottom of her staff into the Star Warrior.

Meta Knight recoiled, but did not give Riley any satisfaction of his pain. The witch could see his small, armored body quivering. Even with everything he had endured, his spirit still had fire within.

"If it is my pride and honor you want, you're not going to take it. Torture me all you want, demon beast."

"Hmhmhmmmm, only half, sweetie." Riley scoffed, kneeling beside him, "You're a failure as a knight, my little friend. You failed to protect your king, and now you're going to fail to protect Kirby. With your help and Kirby's, Holy Nightmare will return."

She began looking at him all over, at different angles. At her touch, Meta Knight jerked to the side, only to be put back in place by the ghast hand that continued to hold him. It was beyond undignified, the way he was being pawed and manhandled by this horrid woman, if she could even be called that. As she scanned Meta Knight with a critical eye, Riley stripped him on his cape and armor, save for the mask which he refused to let her take. Fine, he could keep his identity, for now. Besides, it would be more fun to humiliate him by unmasking the knight in front of his friends. While she searched, Riley had found an ornate key, hidden under one of the shoulder guards. _'A mundane, but pretty trinket nonetheless,'_ she thought to herself, sending the key gods know where in a puff of smoke.

"Yes, this will do nicely. I cannot control you... so... "Riley trailed off as her form began to shrink and reform itself.

The sorceress became shrouded in black fog, then she was gone. In his groggy state, Meta Knight could have sworn he was looking into a mirror. Everything from the form of the armor, the fine cloth of his cape, even his battle scars, Riley had turned into an exact doppelganger.

"I'll just have to be you instead,"

It was quite sickening to hear that evil woman's voice come from his body, well, a copy of his body, anyway.

"Strange... certainly different. How do you fight so well in this soft, cuddly body, anyway?" Riley asked, wrapping her cape around herself in the same fashion Meta Knight would.

"What... are you going... to do, Riley?" Meta Knight growled, his eyes burning deep red as he fought against the corporal hand.

He coughed violently when roughly picked up and thrown into an empty cell by himself. Groaning in pain, he tried to get up, only to find himself bound in chains as they wrapped themselves around him, shackling his hands behind his back. The cell door slammed shut and locked itself, after the levitating hand had exited. Even in a different form, Riley could still use her magic.

"I want all of you to bear witness to the nightmare I'm going to bring upon this universe. Now then, I need to find your – wait a second – my apprentice. You escaped see, sadly, the others didn't make it out alive. Tragic, but I'll let little Kirby down easy," Riley explained, turning her back to the real Meta Knight, "By the way... has anyone ever told you that you ought to be on TV with this accent? Mhmhmhmmmmm..." she laughed, mimicking the Star Warrior's voice perfectly.

Meta Knight was mortified. He could only watch as the doppelganger swept out of sight, leaving him with his torment and thoughts for company. He had been warned that the odds were against them, but nothing could have prepared him for this. Hopefully, should the worst happen and Riley found Kirby, his little apprentice would be smart enough to see through the witch's illusion. His eyes dulled deep grass green as he immersed himself in thought. Were the others really alright? Riley had separated him from them for a reason. Why exactly, he did not know. They better have been alive, especially Geoffrey, just so if need be, Meta Knight could kill the human himself, or at least give him a good piece of his mind.

All he did know was that he could not give up. The old warrior shifted, trying to move his hands from behind his back. The corporal hand banged on the cell bars, then wagged a finger in the air, telling Meta Knight 'no'. Well, Meta Knight wasn't one for taking no for an answer, he was going to escape, for real.

Riley glanced to the cell containing the other four prisoners. She had to stand on the tips of her armored shoes to get a better look, she just wasn't used to being so short. They were still alive, albeit out cold and not in the best of health. Oh well, it was enough to satisfy her. She had carefully set up her animated hands as guards, unlike the hell hounds, they couldn't back talk and for the most part were quiet. However, as Riley started up the stairs, a voice stirred in the back of her head,

 _'Excuse me, sissy, but aren't you just a little bit too clean and tidy for an escaped captive?"_ questioned Fey.

 _'Alright, you two had better not screw this up!"_ Riley hissed inwardly, stopping in her tracks, ' _Meta Knight does not have two obnoxious siblings yapping inside his head all the time!'_

 _'Tehe, no. But you'll have a hard time selling your story if you start strutting about looking all fine and dandy like!'_ Fey giggled.

She hated to admit it, but Fey was right. So, with a groan, Riley began to smudge the dirt and filth of the dungeon floor over her armor, hands, and cape, then proceeded to tear her cape until it looked like it had been legitimately tattered in a scuffle. Next, a few illusionary cuts and dried blood finished the look.

 _'You ought to see yourself, Riley. It looks terrible on you!'_ Weston teased.

 _'To Hell with you, Weston. You're still going to be punished.'_ Riley grumbled, slowly making her way up the stairs.

*Castle Dedede, random corridor*

It was awkward in this puffball body, she felt more like a plush toy than a warrior. Riley was used to her long, tall legs, not short stubby ones with large feet. (Come to think of it, did puffballs have legs, or just feet?)

' _So you can walk and fight flawlessly wearing those impractical stiletto boots, but when given the proper pair of armored shoes you nearly trip over your own feet?"_ Weston questioned.

This time Riley didn't dignify her brother with an answer. Granted, she knew she couldn't shut out her siblings forever, but for the time being, she was going to try. She wandered about the castle, confident that her disguise would work. If Kirby was wondering around, he'd be more than eager to rush into the safety of of his mentor's protective grasp. But come to think of it, it had been a while, and none of the hell hounds had anything to report. She could only assume that the denizens of the castle had either fled or were joining her enemies down in the dungeons. Needless to say, it was awfully empty without the Waddle Dees.

Fluffy had already turned the once beautiful courtyard into a raging bonfire, enjoying the comfort of the flames. Riley rolled her golden eyes at the sight, but at least the Wolfwrath was ignoring her. The Gods only know what would happen should a demon beast see her in this form. Regardless, having that beast at the front gate of her new abode was certainly a good "Keep Out" sign. However, when the sorceress started up to the second floor, she stopped in her tracks at the sound of a low growl from behind her. When she looked over her shoulder, Riley could see Glasya, a look of pure shock on her face.

"How did you escape, you bastard? Orders or not, you're dead!" Glasya howled, as she leaped forward.

"Glasya, it's me, you idiot!" Riley hissed, using her actual voice.

The Alpha Hell Hound skidded to a halt, stopping about an inch from her mistress. Her mouth hung open uselessly as her working eye scanned the armored puffball before her. It certainly looked like Meta Knight, but her mistress' voice had come out of him. Silently, Riley lifted a gloved hand, shutting Glasya's mouth before she started drooling.

"You would defy my orders, Glasya?"

"What... what are you... doing in that wretched body, milady? Can I even call you that?" Glasya balked.

"I'm a witch, figure it out! You don't need depth perception to use your brain! I just escaped from the dungeons and slaughtered the guards, now I'm looking for my poor little apprentice." sighed Riley, with an annoyed huff.

"We have not been able to find Kirby or his guards yet. There might be some sort of secret room or tunnel that we haven't found yet."

"Then find it, Glasya! Also find that damn snail and have Spitfire and Lucifer round up anyone left in the castle while you're at it. When you're done, go play dead or something, it can't look good if Sir Meta Knight is caught having a chat with a demon beast. Scram!" Riley snapped, shifting her voice back to Meta Knight's before ascending the stairs.

Still baffled, Glasya stalked away. If that was the attitude she was going in with, good luck convincing anyone that she was Meta Knight. Why did Riley insist on keeping her captives alive for as long as possible? The Greater Hell Hound wanted nothing more then to feel Meta Knight's blood on her paws while she tore him apart, but with Riley controlling her, that wasn't going to happen.

The Alpha female paused, then looked down one of the many dark, empty hallways. She cautiously took a couple steps forward and sniffed the air, tilting her half blinded eyes to get a better view. Nothing but darkness. Snorting a plume of flame and smoke, Glasya continued to patrol the lower levels of the castle for her quarry.

*Dark "empty" Hallway*

Thank the stars he had listened to that shady human's tips, and thank anything else that happened to be around at the time that for a snail, he could run pretty fast. Escargoon wiped a bead of sweat away from his forehead, keeping his back against the wall. That was too close.

He had been dodging the hell hounds for about an hour, after being spooked from the castle library, his chosen place of hiding. He carried no weapons, and his shell would provide little protection against the savage fiends. These certainly were not like the monsters Nightmare Enterprises had once used to rip off the king.

"Now that spell flinging hooligan has transformed herself into Meta Knight? And I thought one of him could be bad enough." Escargoon muttered quietly to himself.

Escargoon's mind raced. He had no idea where Kirby was hiding either, and had been searching for him in the hopes that he would find the pink puffball before Riley's minions did. But then he thought about the others. The dungeons! Riley had mentioned the dungeons. If his king, Meta Knight, and those kids were still alive, that must be where the sorceress was holding them. The sneaky snail mentally praised himself for having made copies of all the keys to different places in the castle, right under King Dedede's nose. If he couldn't find Kirby to warn him about Meta Knight's new evil twin, then perhaps he could assist King Dedede and the others in a jail break.

Well, time to start dodging monsters again...

*Castle Dedede, upper levels*

Riley had searched the entire second floor, turning up empty handed. Most of the rooms had already been thoroughly trashed by the hell hounds, anyway. Speaking of which, she'd have to summon more of those things. Making a mental note to herself, the she-devil-turned-Meta Knight climbed up another staircase, navigating through the darkness of the castle with ease. She was becoming more used to this new body. Perhaps when the plans were completed, she could modify it into something more suitable for herself. A red cape would be much more her.

The Meta Knight doppelganger snapped herself out of her fashion thoughts, stopping in front of a large, wooden door. Or was it a door? Did she even see it? It was the strangest feeling. But then, golden eyes narrowing, Riley held out her hand and whispered a few strange words. A smile spread underneath her mask as the Unnoticeability spell faded away, revealing a door with Meta Knight's insignia on it. Oh, she would have to give the kid an 'A' for effort on that one. It was a cleaver trick, but not cleaver enough.

' _So, this is where you've been hiding, hmm? Well, say hi to your old pal, Meta Knight.'_ Riley thought to herself, pointing her hand at the door to open it, like she usually did.

She stopped. Right now, she was Meta Knight. Meta Knight didn't use his thoughts for mundane tasks. So, before Weston or Fey could correct her, Riley instead tested the handle only to find that it was locked. Usually, she'd just break down the door. But she wanted to keep the charade up. Then the doppelganger remembered. She had taken a key from the real Meta Knight while she searched him, and it looked very much like it would fit in the keyhole under the doorknob.

*Meta Knight's quarters/hiding place*

Sword had no idea how much time had gone by, only that every minute felt like an hour. It was impossible to tell if it was still afternoon or evening with the storm outside. Occasionally, a flash of lightning illuminated the darkened barracks, followed by a rumbling roar of thunder. So far, it appeared as though Tiff's little magic trick had worked, as Riley's demons had left them alone.

Blade came out of his and Sword's room, where Tiff and Kirby were currently resting.

"How are they doin'?" Sword asked.

"Coul' be etter'. They're asleep in you're bed." Blade answered, "Any ign' of Sir Meta Knight?"

Sword simply shook his head.

"There's been nothin' outside for a while. The only noise I've been hearin' is that Wolfwrath, Fluffy, throwin' itself a party below us in the courtyard."

Blade cautiously stepped to the window and pulled back the curtain just enough to see the giant, wolfish monstrosity below, curled up on a bed of coals of it's own making, shrouded by billowing smoke.

The two knights were somewhat startled when they heard something shambling into the main space, but relaxed when they saw it was only Tiff.

"What are you doin' up, Tiff? I thought you were resting." Sword stated, concern heavy in his voice.

"I couldn't," sighed Tiff.

There were times she really envied Kirby. No matter what, he found it possible to rest in some very odd situations. Like falling asleep during his first ever duel with Meta Knight. The girl smiled at that memory. Granted, when it happened, she was both worried sick Meta Knight would have just cleaved the pink puffball in half, and in shock. How could anyone fall asleep in the middle of a sword fight? Well, Kirby had certainly found a way. Now it was a fond memory, how far all of them had come together. Suddenly, everyone in the room tensed as the brass door handle jiggled softly, shortly followed by what sounded like a key being inserted into the keyhole.

Sword and Blade hastily drew their weapons, motioning for Tiff to stand back. While the two knights raised their swords, ready to strike whatever unsavory creature dared come through, Tiff flipped to the Magic Missile page in her spell book and raised Neo's wand. There was a creak from the old wood of the door, and to their shock, a familiar form stood before them. He was battered and bloody, but very much alive, his tattered cape wrapped around him.

"SIR META KNIGHT!?" all three questioned, in complete shock.

 **Author's Notes::** Okay, I'll admit it, I love Riley. She's just oozes evil, she's so much fun to write. Anyway to sum things up, Sword and Blade escort Tiff and Kirby to safety while the others stay behind to keep Riley distracted. The ghast hands were just something I came up with, thinking about the D&D spell Spectral Hands, but making it much more nasty and demonic. Needless to say, Geoffrey is still on Meta Knight's shit list. Gee, and you thought Dark Meta Knight was bad, huh? I couldn't resist that "You ought to be on TV with that accent" bit. I love Meta Knight's accent, I swear!

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	7. Rise Again, Holy Nightmare

In You're Nightmares, Rise Again, Holy Nightmare

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Vile Deception.

::Author's note:: Okay, just to make it clear, when you see Meta Knight written down like this, 'Meta Knight', it ain't the real one, it's Riley, but everyone else just thinks it's Meta Knight. For those of you with no clue as to what's going on, I refer you to the previous chapters. Right then, off you go.

*Castle Dedede, dungeons*

King Dedede grumbled and moaned as he came too. It felt as though someone had been pounding his head with his own mallet. Damn, what a terrible dream. More like a nightmare. It felt so real, that demented woman breaking into his castle and setting her monsters loose within it, all because she wanted that little cream puff, Kirby. But alas, as the portly penguin opened his eyes, reality quickly sunk in.

"Chained in my own dungeons?" King Dedede exclaimed, uselessly pulling against his bonds, "Oh that girlie's gone and kicked a hornet's nest here. Just wait till I get out. I'll give her a thrashin' she wont soon forget!"

"Not to rain on your parade, your highness, but look around you," Neo moaned weakly, flicking her ears as she began to wake up.

It was only now did the ex-king find that he was not alone. Kautounie, Neo, and Geoffrey were all beginning to come to their senses. The only one missing was Meta Knight.

King Dedede rubbed his aching head in thought of where the blue puffball could be, only to be interrupted by the two zwetoocks spitting onto the floor, wrinkling their noses from the disgusting taste lingering inside their mouths.

When Kautounie attempted a spell to break free of her chains, nothing happened. She tried again, growling in unintelligible words until finally biting the chains out of frustration. Again, nothing happened. The elder zwetoock cursed audibly, pinning her ears against her skull as her frustration grew. Next, Neo gave it a try, and just like her sister, her chains remained right where they were.

"Well Kautounie," Neo began, "judging by that awful taste in our mouths and the failure to cast spells, I'd say we were administered a rather large dose of Wyrmrot while we were unconscious."

"Worm-a-what?" King Dedede quested, with a confused look.

"Wyrmrot. It's a rare but potent poison from our home planet of Horva. The poison suppresses the flow of arcane energy within the body." she explained.

Another confused look from King Dedede.

"Meaning they can't cast spells," Geoffrey stated, putting it into simple English for the sake of the king, "at least not until it wears off, which will be impossible to tell since we don't know when it was administered or how much."

The four of them took a long, painful look around. There was no sign of Meta Knight, although there was a pool of blood on the floor. On a small shelf outside the cell and out of reach, were their weapons and other belongings, which looked as though someone had already gone through them. Languishing in the cell across from them were a few waddle dees, which looked a bit beat up but otherwise alright. The Cabinet Minister and his wife were also inside the same cell, both of whom had small scratches and a few burns. Kautounie and the others had seen them around the castle. Weren't they Tiff's parents? But of course the one thing that was most difficult to miss were the four levitating ghast hands paroling the corridor. Two of them were tapping their clawed fingers against the crumbling stone wall, while another attempted to prod Kautounie through the bars. The zwetoock snapped her jaws at the appendage, but found the taste to be even more revolting then the Wyrmrot.

"Looks like we is done and stuck here," King Dedede sighed, slumping against the wall.

Now he was regretting having his dungeon built with such high security.

"I for one am not planning on being a permanent tenant," Geoffrey scoffed, calmly shifting his wrist.

"How?" questioned Neo, "your set of lock picks are out there, guarded by those... hands. Urg, whoever came up with that spell needs to die a horrible death!" she muttered, glaring at the appendages with sheer despise.

Geoffrey didn't say anything, he just kept a small, subtle smirk on his face. The sort of look that told everyone that Riley hadn't taken everything away from him. As if appearing out of no where, the rogue flashed a small skeleton key, and began working on the chains, keeping a careful watch on the ghast hands.

"Yup, my daddy may have been a murderer, but he at least taught me some useful skills before he went and got himself killed." he commented with a heavy sigh, "Well, him and her..." he added to himself, in a mutter so low no one else heard.

"So, umm, all dat was true, what Riley said back in my throne room, then?" inquired the king.

"As I told Tiff, I'll tell you. Yes. My father was my only biological family, but the Redsun pack was my home away from home, so to speak. Gerard Collins murdered Star Warriors, and the Redsuns fought beside them. Eventually I had to choose a side," Geoffrey said, still fiddling with his shackles, "and I did."

Kautounie and Neo lowered their heads slightly. Since they weren't going anywhere anytime soon, it was for the best that they fill the king in on everything they knew. The worst part being that it was their personal quest for bragging rights that dragged everyone into this mess. Unknown to them a few cells down, Meta Knight could hear every word.

"So, what fancy spell is written on that dragon scroll or whatever it was Riley tricked you into gettin'?" King Dedede asked, worriedly.

With a deep sigh, Kautounie answered, "Resurrection. It's the rarest spell in Horva. It has the power to bring someone back from the dead."

Uncomfortable silence filled the room, only to be broken by the tapping of sharp claws against iron bars. The ghast hands were growing restless. Could they even get bored if they were simply summoned... beings? Things?

Suddenly, just as Geoffrey could hear the light 'click' of his shackle lock opening, the barking and growling of hell hounds could be heard from the main entryway to the dungeon. At the noise, two of the ghast hands shifted and levitated towards the main doorway.

"Let me go!"

"Shut up, kid! If I had my way you'd be dead already!" snapped a familiar voice, followed by a low growl.

The main door opened, seemingly all by itself, and a small boy was pushed inside, Spitfire and Lucifer close behind. Geoffrey was quick to recognize the boy, with his yellow hair with the green zigzag covering his eyes and the overalls with a single strap. He and the ladies had seen him a few times, mostly being scolded by Tiff. It was her younger brother, Tuff.

Tuff was living up to his name and fought back against his captors. He already sported some recent bite wounds and now had a burn added to his injuries.

"Screw it, Lucifer, lets just kill him now!" Spitfire snarled.

"Oh come on, leave the cub alone!" Kautounie called out, standing up and fur bristling.

The two hell hounds snorted with disdain, forcing Tuff along to the cell with the waddle dees. Tuff couldn't help but shudder at the sight of the ghast hands levitating in front of him as they opened the cell door. Roughly, he was shoved inside. Spitfire and Lucifer laughed before the later of the two belched a small blast of embers through the bars.

"Listen up, you play your cards right, you'll live through this. If not... I'll see you all in Hell!" Lucifer warned, snapping his jaws, delighting in the fear he felt from the prisoners.

"You know, Lucifer. I like you. That's why I'll kill you last." Kautounie scoffed.

"I'd like to see you try. Things don't look favorable for you, dragon girl." the fiend snorted.

As Lucifer and Spitfire left, King Dedede overheard the two doberman monstrosities snickering and laughing, looking over their shoulders at him in particular. Something about how he would look fantastic roasted on a spit and basted in his own lard.

"Yeah, and we'll stuff the fat turkey with the snail once we nab him!" Spitfire laughed as their voices faded away as they left the dungeons, the door closing all by itself and locking behind them.

"You like him, Kautounie? I hate that dog. Riley ought to put him on a leash!" King Dedede commented.

Before they could get better acquainted with their new prison mates, the ghast hands restlessly turned towards the main door once again as the sound of jingling keys could be heard outside. It wasn't the hell hounds again, they used telekinetic abilities to get in and out. Who could it have been?

"Things could get messy very fast," Kautounie warned, in a hushed whisper.

*On the other side of the door*

Oh, what was he honestly thinking? He had nearly been caught by Glasya and barely escaped from his own room in one piece. But so far Escargoon had done a pretty good job avoiding the hell hounds, and he had just dodged Spitfire and Lucifer (again) on his way down to the dungeons. However he found himself wondering what the horrid stink was coming from the other side of the door. Then the purple snail found out.

As soon at the main door had been opened, Escargoon had the shock of his life when two huge, corporal hands grabbed at him, nearly tearing into him with filthy talons.

"GAHHH!" was all he could manage.

Again, thank the stars that for a snail, he was pretty darn fast.

"Escargoon! You have no idea how Dede-delighted I am to see you!" King Dedede shouted.

"I wish I could say the feeling was mutual, sire!" Escargoon answered, narrowly avoiding being grabbed.

Kautounie and Neo barked frantically, pointing to where their weapons had been stashed. Escargoon was quick to catch on, and went for the one weapon there he had some experience wielding, King Dedede's hammer. The frightened snail slammed one of the hands into the wall as hard as he could. Discolored blood and other fluids that he didn't even want to know about poured from the lesions left after impact, and two of the digits were limp and useless.

Escargoon's small victory was short-lived, as the other two ghast hands were drawn towards the fight. The snail turned quite pale, facing these horrifying monstrosities.

"Toss the keys!" Neo screamed.

Not needing to be told again, Escargoon hurled the keyring through the air. They sailed through the bars, smacking King Dedede on the head before falling to the floor with a clatter.

"He's got good aim." Kautounie teased, snatching up the keys before King Dedede had a chance.

Using his skeleton key, Geoffrey had already freed himself from his bonds. He began working on the lock to the main cell and stopped when he felt a tap on his shoulder. There was Neo, Kautounie, and Dedede, free of their chains, dangling the keyring in front of him.

"My way's more fun!" the thief sighed, taking the actual dungeon keys and unlocking the door.

Good thing to. Escargoon became overwhelmed by the fiends, yelling loudly as he was picked up off the ground and squeezed violently. In a flash, Kautounie grabbed her machete and sliced the hand holding the poor snail to pieces. These things were much easier to kill when you weren't ensnared in their grasp.

"That's two I owe you, sweetie pie – er - Kautounie." Escargoon gasped, recovering from the pain.

"No, I consider us to be even." said the zwetoock, with a smile.

One ghastly appendage down, three more to go. Or so they thought. Unseen from their cell but quite visible now, the two hands that hovered around Meta Knight's cage dashed down the corridor, claws outstretched. Geoffrey had managed to get a hold of one of his guns while Neo grabbed her bow and quiver of arrows. A well aimed shot from Neo left one hand an easy target for King Dedede, who had reclaimed his mallet from Escargoon.

Even unable to use her sorcery, Kautounie was still a fierce fighter. With a few slashes, another ghast hand was brought to the ground, all it's fingers severed and quivering on the floor. Finally, a couple of bullets from Geoffrey's gun was enough to finish the fight. Just to make sure they didn't get up again, Kautounie and King Dedede hacked and pounded the remaining pieces, while Escargoon hid behind Geoffrey and Neo, still looking a bit pale.

"Thanks, Escargoon. You're alright." Geoffrey said to the snail with a nod of his head in respect.

"Just keep an eye out, there could be more of those things." Neo warned, before collecting the rest of their gear.

As they went through their belongings and reloaded their weapons, Escargoon warned the group that Glasya was still wondering around and what he had seen earlier.

"What? Riley has assumed Meta Knight's identity?" Kautounie inquired, unbelieving of what she had heard.

"That's not all," Neo interrupted, urgently, "My vial of Sleeping Draft is missing."

At the weird looks she was getting, the little healer explained that she kept it on hand to sedate unwilling patients. Suddenly, as the pieces were slowly being put together, all three of them had a sick feeling in their stomachs, perhaps not quite as bad as what the ghast hands made them feel, but it was up there.

"Okay, Riley tricked us into getting that resurrection scroll, she'll stop at nothing to take Kirby alive, and now Neo's sleeping potion is missing," Geoffrey stated.

"Lets just get Meta Knight and find Kirby before Riley does." Kautounie growled, taking the lead down the hall.

It didn't take them long to find the blue puffball. His cape and armor were strewn about outside his cell door, and Galaxia was stuck in the ceiling above the group. Meta Knight had already managed to shake free of his bonds during the time he was unguarded. He was deathly quiet.

"Sir Meta Knight?" King Dedede asked, "anyone home?"

He was interrupted by a loud yell, cursing, and an electric zap. Looking up, Dedede could see that it was Geoffrey freeing Galaxia from the ceiling. How the human managed to get up to it was still a bit of a mystery to the king. The rogue landed on his back, groaning loudly, Galaxia clattering to the stone floor beside him.

"Well, I don't notice my headache anymore..." Geoffrey moaned, in a bit of a daze as King Dedede helped him to his feet.

Neo opened Meta Knight's cell door, then tossed the ring of keys back to their rightful owner before cautiously stepping inside. She was followed by Kautounie who had collected the warrior's cape and armor. Silently, Meta Knight accepted and donned his armor and got to his feet, golden gaze locked on Geoffrey. King Dedede was about to say something, but surprisingly did the smart thing and kept his mouth shut. With a slight whimper, Escargoon hid behind the penguin.

Using his foot, Geoffrey slid Galaxia across the floor to Meta Knight. He could feel his heart pounding wildly in his chest. No words were needed, the old veteran was furious with him, and rightly so. Meta Knight reached down to claim his sword, invigorated by the familiar feeling of the golden blade in his hands.

"I know you're pissed at me, and I can't say I blame you. What I did back there with Kirby, well... it was stupid. I have no idea what came over me, and I deeply apologize for what I have done, to you and your apprentice. Now you know the truth, Sir Meta Knight. So if you want to cleave me in half, go right ahead!" Geoffrey declared, holding his arms out and leaving himself open.

He didn't even know what hit him. One minute Meta Knight was at the back of the cell, and the next, Geoffrey found himself on the flat of his back with the armored puffball on top of him, Galaxia pressed against his throat. Meta Knight's eyes blazed red as he emitted a fierce growl. Now for the second bad idea of the day.

"You're proposal is acceptable, Collins!" Meta Knight snarled.

Kautounie tensed up, ready to attack, but Neo held her back and shook her head.

"Wait," she whispered.

Geoffrey lay very still, eyes fixed on Meta Knight's. He didn't even attempt to reach for any of his weapons, knowing it wouldn't do him any good.

"You held Kirby's life in your hands, now I hold yours in mine! What do you have to say for yourself, rogue?" the furious Star Warrior questioned, pressing Galaxia further into Geoffrey's skin.

"There's... a lot of... things I'm not... about to say to you while... you've got Galaxia at my throat." Geoffrey coughed, "But before you kill me, just know that I am not my father, and it was indeed a... dare I say it... honor to fight by your side."

He glanced to Kautounie and Neo, both of whom looked horribly conflicted. There was their friend, their brother, lying on the ground with Meta Knight's sword at his throat. But Meta Knight, he was their friend too. However, Geoffrey waved the two girls down. It was up to Meta Knight to decide his fate now.

"You threatened Kirby's life... however, by your actions, you probably saved it too." Meta Knight sighed as his eyes returned to a normal gold, lowering his sword, "indeed, you are not Gerard, Geoffrey Collins. I will forgive you, but I cannot forget what you have done, either."

"Fair enough, buddy," the rogue stated, "by the way, I prefer the name Redsun."

Meta Knight got off of Geoffrey and allowed the human to get to his feet. It took a few minutes for the human's heart rate to return to normal. Worried, Neo hastily checked both of them all over for wounds. She may not have been able to use her magic, but she still had medicines and bandages in her medical kit.

"You know Meta Knight, I actually thought you were going to kill me."

Geoffrey let out a nervous laugh.

"For a minute there, so did I." Meta Knight admitted, coldly.

For once in her life, Kautounie was happy she didn't jump into a fight. She loved Geoffrey, but she would take no pleasure in killing Meta Knight either, or the other way around, if so it turned out.

"Hey Geoffrey... don't piss this guy off," she muttered with a smirk as she crossed her arms.

The thief threw Kautounie a harsh look. It was then he remembered that he himself had told the sisters to remind him not to anger the Star Warriors shortly after they had met.

"I did say that, didn't I?"

The two sisters nodded, with identical cleaver smiles.

"Excuse me, I hate to break up this precious moment, but isn't Riley masquerading around as Meta Knight right now?" Escargoon shouted, "every second you knuckleheads are down here, the closer she is to nabbing Kirby!"

Escargoon was right. Back to the business at hand. They didn't have time to hash out their differences. Riley was wondering about the castle, and they needed to find Kirby before she did. It would be far more dangerous to face her without the zwetoocks' sorcery, but they couldn't afford to wait for the Wyrmrot to wear off.

"Well then Meta Knight, where would Sword and Blade take Kirby to keep him safe?" King Dedede asked, hefting his mallet over his shoulder.

"Hmmm... I think I know where they would be. Quickly, follow me!" Meta Knight commanded, wrapping his cape around himself as he led the way out of the dungeons.

"If you all don't mind... I think I'll wait down here." Escargoon sighed, nervously scratching his head.

"You'll be safer here anyway. I don't think Riley would look for you down here, since, this is where her minions would have taken you anyway. Stay hidden, we'll come back for you, all of you, when we're through. And thanks again." Geoffrey said, giving the snail a curt nod.

Escargoon wished the warriors luck, then shrank into the shadows once he was alone. It was crazy, what they were attempting, but no more insane then what he had just done. At least King Dedede was so grateful he was set free he didn't even think to ask about where Escargoon had gotten the keys from. With a smile, the snail twirled the key ring on his finger before freeing the others from their cell. Yes, being a hero for a change felt pretty damn good.

*Meta Knight's quarters*

Groaning in pain, 'Meta Knight' limped into his living quarters, assisted by Blade while Sword closed the door and locked it behind him. He didn't look so good, as he was covered in fresh wounds and quite filthy.

"Sir Meta Knight, you ave' no dea' wha' a relief it is to see you. For a hile' I thought... Riley might have..." Blade exclaimed.

"What happened? Where's King Dedede, Kautounie, Neo, and... and Geoffrey..." Tiff asked, hesitating slightly when she thought about the human rogue.

'Meta Knight' sat down in his chair, panting heavily. Tiff set about curing and binding his wounds while the old warrior caught his breath. Sword poured a cup of hot tea from the kettle on the fire place and handed it to his master.

 _'Alright, alright, sissy don't over do it,'_ Fey sighed, way in the back of Riley's mind.

 _'Fey, Weston, what did I tell you? Shut the hell up!'_ Riley commanded, mentally.

'Meta Knight' closed his golden eyes, taking in a deep breath and began.

"They're dead. They were slaughtered by Riley's demons. We were trapped by the witch and taken down to the dungeons, but we escaped. There was a fight... and... well, I was lucky to only be lightly wounded." 'Meta Knight' elaborated, "Geoffrey and King Dedede didn't stand a chance once they were bitten by Glasya. I have killed the fiend, but not before her poison killed them. As for the others..." he trailed off, not wanting to go into the graphic detail of their "brutal deaths".

Heavy silence weighed inside the room, occasionally interrupted by the Wolfwrath's howling from outside. A few tears escaped from Tiff's eyes as she looked down at the spell book and wand in her hands. She may not have known Neo and Kautounie for very long, but already hearing the news of their deaths saddened her greatly. How would she break the news to Kirby? 'Meta Knight' gently patted the child's arm and sighed heavily.

"No, Tiff. I should be the one to tell Kirby,"

"He's sleeping in here, sir," Sword said, sadness heavy in his voice, motioning towards their bed rooms.

The younger knight might not have admitted it out loud, but he too had become quite fond of the Horvians, as was Blade. 'Meta Knight' stood up, wrapped his cape around his body, and swept into the room.

' _Already asleep, hmmmm? Perhaps there would be no need for the potion after all,'_ Riley thought to herself.

She quickly snapped out of her thoughts when Kirby began to stir. Despite such a cruel heart, Riley couldn't help but think that the little pink puffball was just adorable when he was sleeping.

 _'Sis, you're Meta Knight right now, remember?'_ Weston growled.

Riley had to fight to keep her body posture neutral and her eyes Meta Knight's normal golden. How did that tough old puffball control all of these weird body functions of his? Already she was becoming worried that eventually someone would catch on to her charade. She had to act fast.

But thankfully Tiff was there for her, ever reliable. The young girl was slowly pouring hot drinks for everyone, in the hopes that it would soothe the pain and make it easier on everyone. Little did she realize that she was making Riley's plan just that much easier. Tiff set the tray down on the bedside table, glancing to Kirby as the little puffball began to wake up.

"Thank you, Tiff," sighed 'Meta Knight', taking one of the drinks off of the tray.

Unseen by anyone, the doppelganger put a few drops of the transparent blue potion she had taken from Neo's medical kit earlier that day into each of the drinks. No one suspected a thing.

 _'Indeed, thank you, Tiff.'_ thought Riley, smiling inward to herself.

Kirby's eyes blinked blearily as he woke from his nap. The little pink puff felt sore, gently rubbing his small hand across his bandages. But a small smile crossed his face at the sight of Meta Knight. Kirby sat up in his bed, reaching out to his friend and mentor, chiding happily. With a sigh, 'Meta Knight' sat down on the little warrior's bedside.

"Poyo?" asked Kirby softly, realizing that something was wrong with his friends.

"Kirby... I have something... painful to tell you. I warn you, it will be a shock." 'Meta Knight' sighed heavily, gently holding Kirby closer.

The little star warrior's innocent eyes grew large with grief when 'Meta Knight' explained what he had told the others earlier. It couldn't be true, it just couldn't! But Meta Knight would never lie to him, or Tiff, Sword, and Blade for that matter.

"Riley is still lurking about the castle, and her Wolfwrath still guards the front door." grunted 'Meta Knight', "our outlook is rather grim at this point."

He froze slightly when something pressed against him. 'Meta Knight' looked down to see Kirby curled up in a fold of his cape, as close to his mentor as he could get. Awkwardly, 'Meta Knight' ran his hand down the smaller warrior's back.

"Here, drink this, it will help," 'Meta Knight' said, offering the cup of hot tea he had taken from Tiff earlier.

Kirby obeyed, and it wasn't long before the drink was emptied.

 _'Wow, who'd have thought our sis was the nursemaid type,'_ Weston teased.

 _'Weston, shut up!'_ Riley hissed inwardly.

Tiff couldn't shake this odd feeling she began having. She knew she should have been happy to see Meta Knight, she was at first, but something just didn't seem right.

"You otice'd too?" Blade whispered to the girl.

Tiff nodded once, "Something's just not right about him, but I can't put my finger on it."

Kirby nuzzled closer to 'Meta Knight', almost right into his lap. He laid there a moment, choking back his tears. Then he tensed up, tear stained eyes glaring up at his mentor. With a yelp, he backed away, shaking his head.

"Kirby, what is-?" 'Meta Knight' began.

With a start, he realized what the little puffball had seen, or rather, didn't see. Frantically, the doppelganger reached for Galaxia's scabbard, only to find that the sword wasn't there. Oops.

 _'Riley you idiot, you forgot to copy the bloody sword, didn't you? And then you tell me I lack brains,'_ Weston growled.

 _'Shit!'_ Riley hissed, inwardly.

Out of everything, she had forgotten to make herself a copy of Galaxia. Certainly Meta Knight didn't fight his way through a pack of ravenous demon beasts with his bare fists only to be lightly wounded.

Tiff started towards Kirby, then stopped when she realized just what he saw. Meta Knight, the real one anyway, didn't go anywhere without that sacred sword. Sword and Blade were quick to catch on as well.

"Sir Meta Knight... why is your scabbard empty?" Tiff inquired, while Sword and Blade drew their weapons.

Well, Riley knew she wouldn't be able to keep up the charade forever, but it was certainly fun while it lasted. 'Meta Knight' stood up, smiling behind his mask. Sword Knight and Blade Knight advanced, while Tiff prepared a spell.

"Oh Tiff, has anyone ever let you know that you're far to cleaver for your own good!" 'Meta Knight' hissed, his silky accent quickly turning into Riley's devilish tone.

With a flap of her cape, Riley vanished, reappearing in front of Tiff in her true form, staff at the ready. Tiff screamed, stumbling back, wand still pointed at the witch. She shouted the words to Magic Missile, only to have Riley flick it elsewhere, harmlessly.

"I've got to admit, kid, nice try with that Unnoticeability, you almost had me fooled." Riley complemented, "by the way, Glasya and her boys are alive and well, if you're wondering."

She growled in annoyance when Sword and Blade came up from behind, taking a few slashes with their swords. Riley glanced down to her torn up dress, then to the two knights.

"What have you done with Sir Meta Knight?!" Sword demanded, preparing for another strike, which Riley blocked with her staff.

"Hmhmhmmmm, you're beloved master is chained up in the dungeons as my personal slave right now. Perhaps his two pets would like to join him?" the half-demoness taunted.

Sword and Blade unleashed a flurry of vicious attacks upon hearing what Riley had done to their lord and master. Riley actually had to take a step back and regain her focus. She shouted in the demonic tongue, setting an ethereal, burning chain to wrap itself around Blade Knight, effectively binding him. Just when she was about to give Sword and Tiff the same treatment, Riley was interrupted by Kirby, who had taken up Blade's dropped sword.

"No Kirby, get away from her!" Sword warned, "Tiff, we'll hold her off, get Kirby out of here!"

Suddenly, the teal armored knight stumbled and began to feel incredibly tired. His vision blurred and his feet would no longer carry his weight. Sword fell to his knees and collapsed on the floor, struggling to stay awake. It wasn't long before Tiff, Blade, and Kirby began to feel the same way.

"Wha- what's happening?" Tiff asked, desperately trying to cling to consciousness.

Riley stooped over Tiff and the two knights, a triumphant smirk on her face.

"Thanks again for the tea, Tiff. It made it that much easier for me to slip you all the sleeping draft I borrowed from Neo. You make a good cup of tea, by the way."

She watched with delight as they struggled to stay awake, but to no avail.

"Hmph, what Meta Knight sees in all of you I shall never know!" were the last words they heard before drifting off into an uneasy slumber.

Then a painful feeling in Riley's leg brought her back to reality. The witch twisted around to see Kirby, a furious look on his face, still holding Blade's sword. Riley could tell that he was resisting the sleeping potion as hard as he could, as the little warrior's eyes were heavy and his breathing was quickened.

"Poyo!" Kirby challenged, stepping forward, ready to fight.

"Oh no, you I don't wish to fight. I just need you to go to sleep like the others." Riley purred, wrapping two more of her ethereal chains around Sword and Tiff.

Kirby advanced, then wavered dangerously, eventually dropping his sword. He had taken a full dose of the potion and it was finally taking it's full effect, rather quickly. Riley bent down and picked the child up, gently stroking his soft pink skin. It felt like fine velvet. The little puffball quivered at her touch, struggling to get out of her grasp.

"You can't stay awake forever, little one. Just make it easier for yourself, make it easier on them. It'll all be over soon." Riley whispered softly, laying Kirby down on the bed.

When Kirby tried to get up, the sorceress gently pushed him back down with her staff. Unable to resist any longer, the little warrior fell into an uneasy sleep, completely at the mercy of Riley.

 _'Oh, you got lucky, sissy. Almost lost the game there,'_ Fey commented.

"Shut up!" Riley hissed, audibly, now that her captives were sound asleep.

Already she could feel her heart pounding with excitement. Five years of planning and waiting had finally lead up to this. Riley checked her prisoners' restraints, making sure they were secure. She knew what she was attempting next was risky, as it would leave her mortal body vulnerable.

 _'Sissy, can I go with you? I want to see him rise again!'_ Fey chided, excitedly.

 _'No, I need you to guard my mortal flesh while I enter Kirby's mind,'_ Riley answered.

The witch groaned in pain, using her own fingernails to cut her skin. She smeared her hand in her own blood, then drew an arcane symbol on Kirby's forehead with it. Her body began to shake violently, almost like she were having a seizure. Then a faint red smoke drifted out of Riley's body and shrouded around Kirby, before seeping into the pink puffball. Fey was quick to take over her sister's body, giggling with delight. Now it was just her and Weston.

"This is going to be great! I can't wait till sissy gets back... with Lord Nightmare!" Fey squealed in excitement.

Weston only grunted in response.

The two of them could already see Riley was hard at work. At first, Kirby was very still, his eyes squeezed shut. Then he began tossing and turning in his sleep, hugging the blankets close to his shaking body, but unable to wake from this horrible dream. No, not a dream, a nightmare!

"Me- Medi Kni..." Kirby whimpered softly, grasping his stomach in agony.

"Tehe, even he can't save you now!" Fey giggled.

 _*_ Inside Kirby's Mind*

Riley panted heavily as she took on her normal form, down on one knee. It had been a while since the last time she had forced herself into the mind of another. She had forgotten how exhausting it could be. The witch got to her feet and looked around. Kirby's mind was certainly unique. She was in a vast galaxy, not much else, save for the occasional item of food that would appear off and on. Must have been what Kirby dreamed about. Hmph, little fool. Still, he'd make a cute pet when this was all finished.

Speaking of which, she found the dream form of Kirby, who looked horribly confused. Before he could flee, Riley plucked him up, cradling the little puffball in her arms. When he tried to escape, she tightened her grip. Quickly, the small puffball learned he was getting no where fast.

"Now you know how I feel, little one. I've got my brother and sister sharing my head with me. Nice to get away from them every now and again," Riley sighed, stepping further into the galactic void.

It was like it was never ending. Nothing more then stars, space, and food. She circled around for a while, eventually growing frustrated.

"Alright, Kirby. Help me out, show me where it happened."

Kirby blinked up at his captor, tilting his head.

"Show me where you killed Nightmare!"

Kirby shook his head and closed his eyes. He didn't know why Riley wanted to be brought there, but his instincts told him that it couldn't be for anything good. At his defiance, the vile sorceress punished him by means of an intense jolt of pain that coursed throughout his entire body.

Eventually, Riley found herself standing on a massive chessboard, filled with many pieces, some broken, others whole. Some resembled monsters, like Wolfwrath and the infamous Masher 2.0, and others resembled members of the GSA and their allies. She could not be certain, but Riley could have sworn one of the broken pieces on the board was human, and had a strong resemblance to Geoffrey. Then she stopped, gently running her hand over Kirby's head. The star warrior trembled in her arms, eyes still closed tightly in fear.

"Thank you, so much, Kirby. You have no idea what this means to me," Riley whispered, almost seductively, setting Kirby down.

One more pat on the back, which Kirby did not enjoy at all. He watched as the witch strode forward, clearing away pieces of debris off the chessboard. Cautiously, he followed. Riley's boots echoed loudly in the vast emptiness, finally coming to a stop. With a flourish, she unrolled the Resurrection scroll and levitated it in front of her.

Trailing her dainty finger down the old parchment and sighing heavily, the sorceress prepared herself. Her cold eyes slid to Kirby. He was adorable, but he could be a problem if left unrestrained. With a loud snap, ethereal chains wrapped themselves around the frightened puffball, pinning him in place.

"Behold... "Riley growled, softly.

She began to chant and move her hands in strange gestures. The quicker the pace, the louder Riley became. Kirby could feel his strength draining as she drew upon his pain to cast the spell within the scroll. Heavy winds from seemingly nowhere picked up, and fast, carrying thick shadows and stars with them. The Resurrection scroll faded into the growing shadows, eventually taking shape of a towering wraith-like figure.

Lord Nightmare was just as Riley had expected. Huge, with a large chin, crocked nose, and jagged teeth. His eyes were covered by shades and two golden horns protruded from his head. The headpiece he wore resembled golden fire, with three large rubies. Four armored spaulders adorned his shoulders, and a necklace of gold beads ended in a large medallion around his neck. He was cloaked in a dark blue cape with stars. Riley dipped her head into a bow and gracefully dropped to one knee.

The wraith looked around, startled. Then his eyes slid down to the woman bowing before him, with Kirby bound by her side. He remembered, vaguely, the last thing he saw was Kirby, wielding the Legendary Star Rod against him, effectively destroying him. It was as if that had only happened minutes ago. Suddenly, this woman appears before him, with Kirby in chains? What the hell was going on?

"Welcome back, Your Grace." Riley said, standing up.

"What is this? What's happened? The Star Rod-" Nightmare started.

"Isn't here, Your Lordship. I've made sure of that. You've been dead for five years now, but thanks to some ancient magic from Horva and some easily manipulated kids, I've brought you back to life. I never did get to meet you while the wars were going on, but I'm a huge admirer and supporter of your work." Riley explained, "Riley Prescott, at your service, Your Grace!"

Nightmare smiled cruelly. This woman knew what she was doing and already he was beginning to like her. However, he could tell that she was up to something. There's no way she would have gone through so much trouble to bring him back to life unless she wanted something from him.

"Very well, Riley. I thank you for freeing me of death. But I'll cut to the chase, what is it you want from me?" Nightmare asked, stroking his chin with spindly, taloned hands.

Riley smirked, then summoned the plans to a truly horrifying beast, enlarging them as she handed them to Nightmare. She liked a man who got right to the point.

"I'd like you to make me this! I was just about to put in my order when that... little fiasco started," Riley stated, "so far anyone on Horva that has tried to create this beast on their own has... failed miserably, often digging their own graves. But... you're the best in the business. And I accept nothing but the finest in craftsmanship."

The wraith was impressed. It was a monster with three heads, that of a dragon, lion, and goat. The beast had the front quarters of a lion, hind quarters of a goat, and the wings of a dragon. A large, deadly serpent was the creature's tail. The Chimera.

"I wish I had thought of this one!" the Demon Lord exclaimed, taking a liking to the monster.

"Lovely, but can you make it for me?" Riley asked, hastily.

She flinched slightly from the deity's glare at her quickness, and bowed her head.

"I apologize, your Grace. I- I shouldn't have..."

With a low growl, Nightmare returned to the plans Riley had given him. Something like this would take time, and a lot of work. But he could do it... for a price.

"Very well, I'll make your Chimera. But there's something I need you to do for me." Nightmare hissed, tucking the Chimera plans in the folds of his cloak.

"Excellent! Though, I must say, I think I've already made a generous down payment," Riley pointed out.

Nightmare may not have liked admitting it, but Riley was right. Without her, he'd still be nothing more then a fading dream. He thought for a minute, he would need to get more funds to run his campaign again. Then his eyes fixed on Kirby, who trembled violently under the wraith's gaze. Nightmare quite enjoyed watching the star warrior that had killed him struggling against his chains, eyes wide and terrified. He wanted to kill the little puffball, but first, he wanted to watch him suffer.

"Bring me the Warp Star. That is my price." Nightmare requested, in a tone that told Riley it was not open to negotiation.

The half-demoness thought about it for a minute. She didn't know how to get a hold of Kirby's most powerful weapon, but there was certainly a good reason Nightmare wanted it over money or other valuables.

Now Kirby fought more violently then ever to escape his bonds. Without his Warp Star, Nightmare would be untouchable.

"The offer is fair. I don't care what I have to do to get it, but you'll have it, Your Grace." Riley stated, taking another bow.

Nightmare laughed, lowering a spindly fingered hand down to Kirby, prodding him with a sharp talon. All Kirby wanted was to wake up, but he couldn't. This couldn't be. There was no way this was real.

"This is real, Kirby. As real as you and me." Nightmare hissed, enjoying the torture he was causing, "I'm back, and I wont let you stop me this time!"

Every time Kirby suppressed a whimper, Nightmare only intensified. He wanted to hear Kirby's cries of pain. When it seemed as though he couldn't catch his breath, the massive fiend would let Kirby rest just enough so he could hear his screams when he started into him again.

"I have some prisoners, Your Grace. I thought you might like to see them, when you're done here, of course." Riley said, stepping closer to the wraith, "Soon, you'll be back to taking over the universe and ripping off dictators and adrenaline junkies."

"Thanks to you, Riley, it would appear as though Nightmare Enterprises is back in business!" Nightmare laughed.

"See you on the other side, Milord. I've got some things to attend to... outside." Riley mentioned, fading back into a shapeless red smoke, "welcome back!"

With a laugh, she left Kirby's mind, rematerializing into her own body. Naturally, Fey wasn't happy about being pushed aside, but was quick to forget about it and ask about Nightmare.

"Not yet. We wouldn't want to spoil the surprise, would we?" Riley asked, sitting next to Kirby on his bedside.

He looked quite pale and his eyes were squeezed shut in pain. The witch placed a hand on his trembling body. She could feel Lord Nightmare's presence within the little warrior. He needed to have his fun, he had been dead for a while after all. Riley was pleased to see that Tiff, Sword, and Blade were right where she had left them as they stirred from their forced sleep.

Tiff was the first to shake off the drowsy feeling and come to her senses. She thrashed against the ethereal chains binding her, screaming with frustration when they wouldn't give. Then her eyes fell on Kirby as he let out painful cries in his sleep.

"What have you done to him!?" Tiff shouted.

"I haven't done anything. Poor little thing's just having... a Nightmare." Riley smirked, running her fingers across the top of Kirby's head.

Tiff shuddered as a cruel laugh filled the room. She couldn't see anyone else, but she had heard it before. There was only one person with a voice so vile and heartless. It was so terrible she didn't even want to believe it could be happening. Nightmare has returned...

 **Author's Notes::** Alrighty then, as we all know, waking up in a dungeon can't be much fun. Tuff also gets a brief cameo, but I kept it short. He's one character in the Kirby series that I personally find annoying. Anyways, pieces are finally starting to be placed together. We have a jail break and cell block battle and Meta Knight finally gets to gives Geoffrey a piece of his mind... and a whole lot more.

Lord Nightmare's back, and I think he's pissed! What's going to happen next? You'll know as soon as I do.

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	8. Like a Phoenix

In You're Nightmares, Like a Phoenix

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and... THE HALBERD!. (Yes, you all knew it was coming.)

*Castle Dedede, on the way to Meta Knight's quarters*

"Say what now?!" Kautounie shouted in disbelief, after hearing what Meta Knight had warned them about.

"It's true! Riley took on my form so she could get close to Kirby. I don't know exactly how, but she intends to use that scroll and Kirby to resurrect Lord Nightmare!" Meta Knight growled, quickening his pace.

The group paused at the stairway to the third level of the castle. Already something was telling each of them that they were already too late. Kautounie and Neo growled, feeling an evil presence, and even Meta Knight looked uncertain.

"Somehow I have this horrible feeling that she already has..." Geoffrey muttered.

They carried on, eventually reaching Meta Knight's quarters. It was quite strange, there was no resistance along the way. Glasya and her remaining flunkies were no where to be seen, and Fluffy was still having her private barbeque in the courtyard. It was easy, a little too easy.

"Damn, it's locked. Meta Knight, you have the key, right?" King Dedede asked, letting go of the handle.

"No, Riley took it from me down in the dungeons!" the old warrior answered.

Already a very powerful dark presence could be felt, and Tiff's and Kirby's cries could be heard through the door along with Sword's and Blade's shouts. It didn't sound good.

The sorceress sisters both tried to cast Knock, to force the door open. A small fizzle of energy came from their hands, signaling that the effects of the Wyrmrot were staring to wear off, but most of it was still in their bodies.

"I am going to tear that bitch's throat out!" Kautounie snarled, taking a swipe at the door, leaving four long claw marks in the wood in her frustration.

Without a word, Geoffrey whipped out his skeleton key and one of his lock picks and got to work.

"Sorry, Meta Knight." he sighed, as he worked at the lock.

Meta Knight said nothing. If anything, he'd just have to change the locks when this was through. However, even the stern old knight had to admit that Geoffrey was quite skilled at what he was doing. In less then a minute, they were in.

"Damn you put a good lock on that door!" Geoffrey grumbled, pocketing his picks and drawing his favorite pistol.

Meta Knight and Kautounie drew their swords while Neo knocked an arrow. Geoffrey made a motion with his free hand to King Dedede.

"Care to do the honors, sire?" he asked.

With a grunt, King Dedede barged through, mallet in hand, ready to strike. It certainly looked as though a scuffle had taken place, as the once neat and orderly living space was quite a mess, and things only got worse once they came to the bedrooms, where Sword, Blade, Tiff, and Kirby were held. Riley jumped off the bed with a start, snatching up her staff.

"Sir Meta Knight!" Tiff cried.

"Do you mind?!" Riley hissed.

The witch was answered with a well shot arrow from Neo, right through her abdomen. Riley wasn't ready for the attack and doubled over in pain, leaving Meta Knight unhindered as he sliced through the chains binding the captives with ease.

"Need help gettin' that out?!" King Dedede asked, taking advantage of Riley's predicament, slamming his two ton hammer right where the arrow was, effectively and forcefully pushing it out, causing heavy bleeding.

Riley fell to the floor from the force of the strike, clenching her wound in her hand. A faint blue glow surrounded her as she slowly began to heal herself. She quickly realized that her spells were taking longer to cast. Of course, most of her stamina was spent bringing Nightmare back. With a smirk, the half-demoness faded into the form of black mist, though not before Kautounie's sword tore through her arm.

"It's going to take more then that to stop us now!" Riley's voice echoed as she sifted through the walls, laughing.

Kautounie snarled every foul insult in the zwetoock language she could think of, slicing the air with her blade angrily.

"Screw the bitch, Kautounie, we've got bigger problems!" Geoffrey shouted, turning to Kirby.

The pink puffball was still thrashing about in tortured sleep, unable to wake. Neo rushed to Kirby's side and wiped the arcane symbol off of Kirby's forehead. The little warrior's eyes opened in an instant. He was covered in cold sweat and breathing heavily. Although he seemed fine on the outside, it appeared as though someone had been torturing him mentally. Kirby glanced around in a panicked frenzy, clinging onto Tiff tightly.

"I'm here for you, Kirby," Tiff said, reassuringly.

She, Sword, and Blade were in shock. Was it just another one of Riley's tricks? Riley had claimed to have killed all the others. Yet here they were, standing before them very much alive.

"Riley... she said you all were dead!" Sword exclaimed, "cept' for Meta Knight, but... but..."

"And you're going to believe that there psychopath?" Dedede questioned, quirking an eyebrow.

The young knight opened his unseen mouth to speak, quickly closing it again for lack of anything better to say.

"Kirby, are you...?" Meta Knight began, cautiously approaching his frightened apprentice.

Before he knew what to do, Kirby flung himself at the older warrior, curling up as close as he could get. His mentor was stunned for a moment. Kirby had shown him that foreign feeling called 'affection' before, but not quite like this. Instantly, Meta Knight's fatherly instincts took over and he returned the embrace.

"Medi Kni... poyo?" Kirby squeaked, looking up to his master.

There was no mistaking it, this was the genuine Meta Knight.

Feeling awkward with so many people watching, the veteran gently pried the child off of him. Tiff was quick to scoop Kirby up in her arms. She glared angrily at Geoffrey, and was about to reprimand him for his stunt back in the throne room.

"I have already had a little chat with our human friend, Tiff," Meta Knight assured the girl, holding up his hand in a calming motion, "right now there are more important things to worry about."

Kirby began wriggling in Tiff's arms, chiding and babbling hysterically. They could only guess at what he was trying to say, but judging by the look on his face, it wasn't anything good.

"Sir Meta Knight, Nightmare's back! I don't know how, she put all of us to sleep, but Riley brought him back!" Tiff explained, fighting back her tears.

"It's true sir, all of us heard him. I could never forget that voice!" Sword nodded.

Suddenly, that evil, sickening feeling weighed heavy in the room again. Feeling uneasy, Meta Knight ushered everyone out and into the hall. He glanced over his shoulder and could have sworn he saw a person shrouded in the darkness.

"Wait a sec-" Kautounie started, pinning her ears back.

"Quickly, Kautounie!" Meta Knight snapped, before the impulsive canine had a chance to lunge into battle.

"Come on, sis. We need to get out of here." called Neo, nervously.

Neo grabbed her sister by the sleeve of her hoodie and pulled her along behind Tiff and Kirby.

"Sword, Blade, go down to the dungeons. There is a small group of refugees hiding there," Meta Knight ordered, "lead them to the fountain in the courtyard. You know what to do from there."

Meta Knight's orders sounded strange to Geoffrey, Neo, and Kautounie, but Sword and Blade seemed to know what Meta Knight had up his sleeve. King Dedede on the other hand looked suspicious.

"Right sir, of course! We need every advantage against Nightmare and Riley we have!" Sword said with a nod.

"What abou' Wolfwrath, sir?" Blade asked, "she's still cookin' up the ourt'yard!"

"We shall deal with Wolfwrath!" Meta Knight growled, "Go, now!"

At his command, Sword and Blade split off from the group and headed down towards the castle dungeons.

"What sort of advantage is Sword Knight talking about?" Neo asked curiously, "It may sound silly, but do you have some sort of secret hanger under the castle with a war ship in it or something?"

With a cleaver smile concealed under his mask, Meta Knight's eyes flashed blue.

"You do?" Geoffrey asked, with slight disbelief.

"I knew it! You was always up to somethin', Meta Knight! I thought that thing was Dede-destroyed!" King Dedede said, pointing an accusing finger at the armored puffball.

Judging by the looks on Tiff's and Kirby's faces, they hadn't been expecting anything like this either.

"You mean you rebuilt the Halberd?!" Tiff questioned.

"Yes. What else would I do in my spare time?" Meta Knight shrugged.

"Meta Knight, have I ever told you how much I love the way your mind works?" Geoffrey asked, "Gods bless ya!"

On their way to the courtyard, they stopped in Geoffrey's, Neo's, and Kautounie's room that the three of them had been renting from the king. Quickly, the three Horvians picked up their backpacks and duffel bags, which were already packed. Kautounie opened one of the packs, checking it's contents. She gave a quick nod to Neo and Geoffrey, and they rejoined the others.

"We'll need guns, lots of guns." Geoffrey said, with a smirk.

"You really are a gun nut..." Meta Knight sighed, shaking his head.

"And you, my friend, flatter me... Though I prefer the term 'Weapons Enthusiast'. "

As the group finally reached the first floor of the keep and turned a sharp right, a shadowy figure loomed in the corridor. Meta Knight and Kautounie stepped in front of the others, blades at the ready, with King Dedede close behind. Geoffrey wasn't too far behind, gun locked and loaded. In the blink of an eye, Neo already had an arrow pulled back in her bow.

When the figure slid into the light, it revealed a man that looked a lot like Geoffrey, save for graying hair instead of black and he looked older. He wore a coat much like the rogue's, though there was the glint of silver, in the shape of a rattlesnake, pinned to his chest. Even Meta Knight took a step back. How could Gerard Collins be here, now?

"Impossible, you're dead you son of a bitch!" Geoffrey shouted, pouring every round from his gun into the old man.

Every bullet passed harmlessly through the man, and his cruel laugh filled the room. With a grunt, Neo let loose her arrow, which, like the bullets, passed through him and clattered to the floor.

"Heheha! As long as you dream, boy, I'll never be dead! True to my name, I am but a dream that lives within your heart."

It was not Gerard's voice that came from the being, but Nightmare's. Apparently the wraith had selected an alternate form for himself, that of a 'retired' employee of his. Oh how he loved messing with the minds of others!

"Nightmare," Tiff gasped, holding Kirby closer.

Lord Nightmare's smile widened, examining the pitiful group before him.

"It took you long enough!" he growled.

King Dedede gulped nervously. If this really was Nightmare, how was he going to explain to him that he had no intention to pay off his overwhelming debt? He was snapped out of the uncomfortable thought by Kautounie's shouting, however.

"Why don't you show yourself as you really are, you bastard!" she challenged, baring her fangs at the old man, "I do not fear you!"

"Wait, Kautounie!" Meta Knight warned.

With a savage roar, Kautounie leaped forward. She swung her sword at the entity, only to have if go right through him. Next, she turned to her claws and a fierce bite. Again, nothing. Groaning with annoyance, Nightmare simply held out his hand, catching Kautounie by her throat. The zwetoock struggled to escape, running her claws uselessly across Nightmare's arm, but his grip was ironclad.

"Hmmm, you don't seem to possess any fear within you heart. Interesting. But I'm sure there's something buried deep down inside you somewhere!" Nightmare snarled, "And make n mistake, I will find it!"

"Kautounie!" Neo screamed.

Kirby's face turned into a determined frown as he squirmed from Tiff's grasp and stood by Meta Knight's side, facing the demon. Heart pounding, Tiff followed behind the little warrior, wand held tightly in her hand.

"You! You, child, cost me everything!" Nightmare growled, as his eyes slid down to Tiff.

He remembered all to well that it was Tiff who had summoned the Warp Star when Kirby needed it most. She would have to pay for that!

"Kirby defeated you once, and he'll do it again!" Tiff shouted.

"Poyo!" Kirby said, nodding in agreement.

"Well, last time Nightmare didn't have me!" spat a familiar, slithering, female voice from behind the group.

Sure enough, there was Riley, completely healed, sauntering down the hall. Glasya, Spitfire, Lucifer, and an entire new pack of hell hounds were at her side. Great, just what they needed, right?

With a distasteful grunt, Nightmare tossed Kautounie back into her companions. When the zwetoock looked like she was about ready to charge again, it took Tiff, Meta Knight, and Geoffrey to hold her back.

Nightmare's form began to shift, his chin became bigger and more elongated, and his eyes were covered by shades. The trench coat turned into a blue cloak, covered with stars. Lord Nightmare, as he truly was, stood before them. His form was as tall as the castle ceiling would allow.

"Ah, there's the lady you all can thank for my inevitable return." he hissed, gesturing with his spindly fingered hand.

"Dis' don't look good." King Dedede muttered, shrinking back fearfully.

"I knew it was only a matter of time before you broke out of that rat trap." Riley sighed, narrowing her eyes. "Thanks again for that scroll, Redsuns,"

With a cruel smile and laugh, Nightmare's towering form vanished. Kirby cautiously stepped forward, but there was no sign of the fiend. He was terribly confused. Nightmare had them all cornered and he just disappears? Was he just messing with them all again?

"Meta Knight, I know exactly what we need to take Nightmare out." Tiff whispered.

The elder warrior didn't respond right away. His golden gaze was locked on Riley, studying her actions. The half-demoness perked up when she heard Tiff mention the Warp Star, motioning to her hell hounds to stay where they were. Glasya growled angrily, mismatched eyes fixed on Meta Knight.

"I think that's what Riley wants you to do," Meta Knight answered quietly. "Wait..."

"Come on girl, summon the damn thing already!" Riley grumbled softly to herself.

Meanwhile, Geoffrey's hand slowly slid under his coat, grabbing a small grenade from one of the inside pockets. (Yes, he has a little some of everything hidden in there.) He motioned for the king to stay quiet while he flicked the pin. Neo nodded her head, telling the rogue to keep it up. Even though she could feel the familiar flow of arcane returning to her body, the zwetoock was still unsure if she could cast her spells.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Riley shouted, growing impatient.

"Your majesty..." Geoffrey sighed, turning his head slightly, facing the king, "I'm really, really sorry about your castle."

Wait, an apology? Apparently neither Dedede or Riley were expecting this. Then it hit Riley like a ton of bricks, in more ways then one. Geoffrey lobbed the grenade at the witch and her hell hounds. In a matter of seconds, it exploded, leveling a good portion of the castle on top of Riley, leaving the crew with enough time to get to the courtyard. Naturally, Neo and Geoffrey had to drag Kautounie about half way before she finally accepted that that battle was over.

"I never should have gone and let you kids stay at my castle!" King Dedede shouted.

"Take it out of our security deposit!" Neo shouted back.

"Hey, I could have just taken off and left you with the bitchqueen and her mutts!" Geoffrey suggested, "let's go!"

King Dedede hated to admit it, but the shifty rogue was right. They arrived at the main entrance to the courtyard, (or what was once the courtyard), to find that Sword, Blade, and what was left of Castle Dedede's residents, taking cover behind the stone support structures.

"Sir Meta Knight, there you are!" Sword called, "Wolfwrath is still on the loose, what happened?"

"We were delayed, by Nightmare and Riley!" Meta Knight explained, tightening his grip on Galaxia.

"You... you faced Nightmare?" Blade asked, voice quivering slightly.

"Yeah, you know, Nightmare. Tall, creepy guy, weird clothes, first you see him then you don't. That Nightmare." Geoffrey grumbled, drawing another one of his many hand guns.

Okay, perhaps not the explanation they were hoping for, but it got the point across.

"Mom, Dad, Tuff!" Tiff suddenly cried out, rushing into the small crowd of refuges.

Before her parents knew what happened, their girl had pulled them into a tight embrace. Sir Ebrum and Lady Like had had no idea as to what had become of their daughter and were overjoyed to see her still alive.

"I hate to break up the family reunion, but it is only a matter of time before Riley gets out of that rubble." Neo pointed out.

The sound of baying echoing through the castle and a thick smoke filling the air was quick to get everyone's attention. Plus, all the commotion had brought the Wolfwrath's, Fluffy, unwanted curiosity.

"Neo's right, mom, dad. We've got to get out of here. Meta Knight said he rebuilt the Halberd, that's where we're going." Tiff explained.

"We have to go, now! Sword, Blade, guard the refuges and get to the Halberd!" Meta Knight ordered, "the rest of us will keep the demon-beasts at bay."

Tiff looked reluctant to leave her family. It was another case of out of the frying pan and into the fire, literally. The courtyard was in cinders, but thankfully the fountain was near by. Sword and Blade had already seen a safe path to lead the refuges across and let the others know.

"Be careful dear," Lady Like said, releasing her daughter.

"Ma'am, you've got one hell of a kid right there." Geoffrey stated.

They readied themselves for the upcoming battle. Kautounie handed Kirby her sword, considering he had lost his other one. The pink puffball inhaled it and donned his green cap, becoming Sword Kirby.

"I'll be wanting that back when this is done." Kautounie mentioned as she took Matilda off her back.

Meta Knight and Sword Kirby took the lead into the inferno, while Neo and Tiff guarded the flanks. Geoffrey, Kautounie, and King Dedede brought up the rear of the group. Then it happened. From out of a plum of smoke, Wolfwrath appeared, fangs bared and ready for a fight, and from behind, Glasya and her ravenous hell hounds charged.

The fight was on. Wolfwrath and the hell hounds charged up their fiery breath, sending the blasts right for the group. Instinct taking over, Kautounie and Neo both shouted the words to their shield spells. The two of them strained from the severe stamina loss, but with the Wyrmrot's effects fading, they were able to keep up the ice shield long enough for Meta Knight and his Galaxia sword to absorb the flames.

"Tiff! Tell my wand _'Thundarous'_!" Neo shouted.

Baffled at the strange advice, but without time to question, Tiff did as Neo instructed and shouted, _'Thundarous!'_ With a loud crack of thunder, the elegant ivory wand became a whip of crackling lightning. Emboldened with this new weapon, Tiff cracked the whip at Wolfwrath, leaving a nasty mark down it's side. Angered, and focused on Tiff, the beast failed to see Sword Kirby, who had jumped into the air and sliced his sword downwards. A magnificent sword beam cleaved through the Wolfwrath, leaving it heavily wounded for Meta Knight to finish off.

"Why didn't you tell me about that before?!" Tiff asked, sounding both annoyed and amazed.

"I didn't have time!" Neo answered.

Meanwhile, any hell hounds that did not succumb to the barrage of led and shot fired by Kautounie and Geoffrey were quick to become a permanent part of the landscape with the help of King Dedede's hammer.

Even as the secret entrance under the fountain opened and allowed Sword, Blade, and their charges down into the Halberd's Hanger, they could not help but feel as though they were being played. Glasya could be seen standing on the sidelines of the fight, shouting orders to her pack, and neither Riley or Nightmare had shown themselves yet.

"This is too easy, be on your guard!" Meta Knight warned.

"Easy? You call this here..." King Dedede started, cutting himself off as he slammed a charging demon into the castle wall, "Easy?!" he finished, panting heavily.

Once the last of the refuges had made it safely inside, Tiff and King Dedede joined them while Sword Kirby, Meta Knight, Neo, Kautounie, and Geoffrey stood at the entrance, facing the hoard of hell hounds rushing forward.

Sword Kirby and Meta Knight preformed simultaneous Sword Beam attacks, creating two huge trenches in the scorched courtyard and clearing out one side of the pack. Neo and Kautounie gathered as much strength as they had left and summoned their powerful lightning spells, combining them together during casting to form Chain Lightning, taking out the other side. Geoffrey lobbed another one of his grenades into the carnage, finishing off the skirmish before following after Meta Knight and Sword Kirby. While the secret passageway closed behind them, Glasya's remaining hell hounds spat a barrage of fireballs through the closing entrance, with Neo taking the brunt of the attack.

"Neo!" Kautounie howled, as her sister collapsed to the floor, moaning in pain.

Neo looked up with half-lidded eyes weakly. Her tail thumped softly on the ground.

"Huh? Did we win?" she asked, in a bit of a daze.

"We're almost there." Meta Knight urged, while he and Kautounie helped Neo to her feet.

"This battle isn't over yet. This is just a tactical retreat." Kautounie growled, throwing a glance to Meta Knight.

When Neo protested her sister's and Meta Knight's help, the stubborn knight assisted the zwetoock cub anyway, making it easier for Geoffrey to lift her into his arms and carry her.

"I'm... I'm just a little unsteady on my feet, that's all. We're still in this fight together!" Neo stated.

"Just accept the help and be quiet." Meta Knight grumbled.

Neo was about to speak, but thought it wiser to keep her muzzle shut. Not three days ago, it was her telling Meta Knight to stay quiet and just accept the help.

Meta Knight and the others boarded a rather large elevator that took them down to the Star Warrior's massive lair, where, sure enough, the magnificent battleship, the Halberd, was waiting. It was most impressive, armored and armed to the teeth. The most notable features being the large replica of Meta Knight's mask at the front of the ship, the large, bat-like wings, and the impressive not to mention massive cannon beneath the bow of the ship.

The last of the passengers were boarding and the ship's massive engines roared to life. Neo, Geoffrey, and Kautounie stared at the Halberd in awe for a few seconds, before being snapped back to reality by Kirby's anxious chiding and gesturing towards the loading dock.

"Nice ride, Sir Meta Knight." Kautounie complemented, "Can I drive?"

"No," said Meta Knight, simply.

The five of them were the last to board, although Meta Knight stopped to take another look around. Something just didn't seem right. It was almost as if... Riley wanted him to do this. No, that couldn't be right...

"Just point me to the nearest gun, Meta Knight. I'll shoot that bitchqueen down if she comes here." Geoffrey snorted.

Meta Knight didn't acknowledge the rogue. Wrapping his cape around himself, the old warior brushed past Geoffrey and headed up to the bridge, where Sword and Blade were waiting for him.

"Geoffrey, take Neo to the infirmary. Then report to me on the bridge. Kautounie is right, this battle is not over!" Meta Knight growled.

Sword Kirby glanced to the human, then followed after Meta Knight and Kautounie.

"Go get em, buddy." Geoffrey muttered, shifting Neo so she was more comfortable, "that son of a bitch must pay!"

*Meta Knight and Kirby*

"Poyo... poyo, Medi Kni...?" Kirby asked, looking up to his mentor with worried eyes.

Meta Knight could only guess as to what he was saying, but odds were pretty good that he was asking why Meta Knight didn't want Tiff to call for the Warp Star.

"Meta Knight, if you know of something that can take that bastard Nightmare out, why don't we use it? He's the first thing my blade has failed to cleave!" Kautounie growled.

"I saw the way Riley was looking at Tiff and Kirby. She wants him to use the Warp Star!" Meta Knight explained.

"How do you know?"

"Call it... a hunch..."

*Smoldering Courtyard*

Glasya and her remaining hell hounds scavenged around the fountain, but could not get the entrance to the lair to open. Frustrated, Glasya snorted a rather large ball of flames into the water and scratched the stone with her claws.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Riley? You're letting them get away!" Glasya muttered, lowering her head.

"No, they are right where I want them." the witch purred, from behind the Alpha hell hound, softly, before melting away into the smoke with a laugh.

*Balcony, looking over the Courtyard*

"Riley, they are beginning to suspect that they are being played. This little plan of yours had better work." Nightmare hissed dangerously, as the witch materialized beside him.

"Keep your abnormally large chin up, your Grace. We've got their minds wondering, waiting, anxious. Now we just need to give them the illusion that they've gained the advantage and that their escape plan is working for just a bit longer." Riley said, a thin smile on her lips.

The ground began to shake as the cliff Castle Dedede stood upon opened up. Nightmare and Riley watched as the Halberd spread it's wings and took off into the stormy sky. It was headed west over Cappy Town, towards Kabu Canyon. Already things were going according to plan.

"I don't exactly like this idea of yours. And I'm quite sure you don't have another one of those scrolls." Nightmare growled, looking down at Riley.

Things didn't bode too well for him the last time Nightmare found himself in the presence of the Legendary Star Rod. Putting himself directly in it's path was not exactly what he had in mind for a plan. But it was exactly what Riley wanted him to do.

"Do you want that Warp Star or not? I can't use the same trick twice in a row, they'd be expecting me to take on your form and masquerade as you! The best way to get the girl to call for the Warp Star is to give her a reason. And dare I say, Your Grace, you are a very good reason. They are running out of moves to play. That's why they've abandoned the castle and taken to the skies instead. Now it is up to you and I to give them no choice but to play their last card. Once the Warp Star is out, I'll take over and you just get the hell out of the way." Riley explained. "For indeed, I do not have another Resurrection Scroll, nor do I know how to get my hands on another, so this will work or we're both screwed."

The two of them watched from the safety of their vantage point, ready to make their next attack. Like a phoenix, the battleship Halberd had risen from the ashes, more magnificent then ever. It would be Nightmare's pleasure to tear it apart once again.

 **Author's Notes::** Okay, surprisingly short chapter. (for me anyway). Lets get down to it, Our heroes find Kirby and rescue him from his tortured sleep, Riley and Nightmare play mind games while everyone escapes to the Halberd. Yes, you all knew it was coming. I love the Halberd, it's my favorite stage in SSBB, and in case you were wondering, it's the SSBB design of the Halberd I'm going with.

I chose Gerard Collins as one of Nightmare's alternate forms, mainly because it messes with peoples' minds, especially Geoffrey and Meta Knight. And before you say it, no, Gerard is still very dead and the universe is better off without him, Nightmare just takes his physical appearance. (Or is he...?)

Meanwhile, Meta Knight and his crew worry that they might have just played into Riley's hands while Riley plots how to get her claws on the Warp Star, and will make sure Tiff has no choice but to summon it. She certainly is a manipulative bitch, ain't she?

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	9. Kabu, Send me a Warp Star

In You're Nightmares, Kabu, Send me a Warp Star

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Destruction of Property.

'You know, it's amazing how things can go from bad to total shit storm in a matter of seconds. This entire day had been one non-stop battle of steel and wills. I must say, Meta Knight never ceases to amaze me. There was that one moment down in the dungeons when I thought he was going to kill me. Granted, even I think I deserved it. What I did to Kirby was reckless and foolish, I can only hope the little guy will forgive me. Meta Knight forgives me, but he wont forget, not that I blame him. I'll need to earn his and Kirby's trust again. Right now, things are a mess. Neo's been injured, Riley has taken the castle, and Nightmare is on the prowl. Thankfully, Meta Knight just happened to have a well armed battle ship hidden in a secret lair deep under Castle Dedede. Hey, just because your paranoid, doesn't mean they're not after you. I ought to know...'

The Thoughts of Geoffrey 'Redsun' Collins

'Those kids sure have done and brought a great big mess with them. Now I have no choice but to leave my castle in the hands of that spell flinging psycho, Riley. But that sneaky Meta Knight has gone and remade the Halberd in my basement... again. For once I'm happy he's gone and snuck around and rebuilt this thing! Now we have a chance!"

The Thoughts of King Dedede

'I must admit, through all that has happened, it feels good to ride the skies aboard the Halberd once again. However, I fear that this is exactly what the She-Devil wanted me to do. I might have made a mistake, and played my trump card too soon. But no matter what, we will fight against these fiends with all our strength, or die trying.'

The Thoughts of Meta Knight

'Things may look bad from where we're standing, but there's no way I'm running from a battle. If one good thing has come out of this, at least I'll be there to watch that son of a bitch Nightmare fall this time!'

The Thoughts of Kautounie Redsun

*Skies over Cappy Town*

From the sky, the extent of Riley's rampage could clearly be seen. Cappy Town... what Cappy Town? There was nothing left after Riley had released her wolfwraths and hell hounds in the settlement before sending them to the castle. From the looks of things, if anyone survived, they had more then likely fled. Large bonfires burned in the rubble, illuminating the stormy night, spreading quickly across the fields. Meta Knight, Kirby, and the rest of the gang stood outside on the main deck of the Halberd, looking over the carnage, horror struck.

"This... this is awful!" Tiff gasped, quietly.

To her surprise, she could feel King Dedede tense up. And to think, he was angry about this destruction. These were the people he used to bully and send monsters after.

"Perhaps Kabu will know where any survivors have went." Meta Knight sighed.

"Kabu? How'd he get here? I thought he was back on Horva in the Crimson Woods." Geoffrey asked, looking horribly confused.

"Wait, you have a Kabu back on your home planet?" Tiff asked, surprise evident in her voice.

Geoffrey and Kautounie both nodded. Then what Tiff said hit them both over the head. 'A'! A Kabu, implying that there was more then one.

"There is more then one Kabu, Geoffrey. They are scattered throughout the Galaxy, on different planets and stars." Meta Knight answered.

Okay, that made... perfect sense? Well, whatever. There were more important things to worry about right now.

Kirby's face was filled with sadness as he looked at the scene before him, but sadness quickly turned to anger. He still had his sword ability and was ready to put up a fight once again.

"Kirby's got the right idea." Kautounie snarled, pumping her shotgun once before turning around to head to the bridge "Bitchqueen and her bastard are gonna pay!"

"Uh, Kautounie..." Geoffrey said, rather slowly.

"What?!"

Kautounie stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder. There he was, Nightmare in all his unholy glory, hovering in front of the Halberd, smirking. He was truly massive, dwarfing the size of the mighty warship. Meta Knight and Kautounie both let out audible growls, while the first of the two warriors' eyes glowed deep crimson.

"You are a foolish one, aren't you, zwetoock? Have you learned not that your attacks are useless against me?" Nightmare taunted, his telepathic voice echoing throughout the Halberd, "I on the other hand can hurt you. Say, don't you have a sister sleeping in the ship's infirmary at this very moment? Bad time for a nap, if I say so myself."

Now Kautounie felt her anger boiling over. She didn't care what the fiend did to her, but no one threatened her friends, or especially, her little sister.

"You leave my sister-" Kautounie began, fur bristling.

Geoffrey and Tiff were quick to grab hold of her before the young mage did anything rash. Although judging by the grin on Nightmare's face, he had already learned everything he needed too.

"We are not afraid to fight you, Holy Nightmare!" Meta Knight shouted as he drew his sword.

Nightmare only laughed harder. Do these people ever learn? His gaze slid down to Tiff and Kirby, both of whom took a step back. Tiff uncoiled the electric whip from Neo's wand while Kirby did the surprising thing and dropped his sword ability. He knew he would have to act fast as soon as his Warp Star came.

"Tiff, Kirby, you had best get ready. It looks as though we have no choice but to use the Warp Star." Meta Knight exclaimed, quietly.

Geoffrey and Kautounie slowly shifted into position on Tiff's and Kirby's flanks. The later of the two, reclaimed her machete off the deck, giving Kirby a quick 'thanks', while King Dedede watched their backs. It didn't take a psychic to know that Riley was watching nearby, waiting for them to make their move.

"Keep an eye out for Nightmare's concubine. I have a feeling that as soon as that Warp Star appears, so will she." Kautounie muttered.

"Well, as I like to say, if there is one thing I despise, it is a fair fight!" Geoffrey stated, a cocky smile forming on his face.

In a flourish, Nightmare threw back his cloak, revealing the empty void of space concealed within. He reached down with his bony, clawed hand, going for Tiff first. Knowing that the whip would be unable to harm him, Tiff instead turned to a different tactic. Perhaps if he couldn't be hurt, he could at least be distracted. When the wraith lord was close enough, Tiff shouted, creating a dazzling flash of violet light. Although it didn't hurt him, Nightmare was momentarily blinded. He stifled a cry of discomfort from the bright light, holding his hands in front of his eyes.

"If you're going to do it, girlie, do it now!" King Dedede grumbled.

Taking a deep, nervous breath, Tiff called, "Kabu, send the Warp Star!"

"Waarrrrrp Starrrrrr!" Kabu's deep, disembodied voice echoed, once again causing Geoffrey and Kautounie to look around to see what the hell had just happened.

"Dejavu?" the zwetoock growled to Geoffrey.

Now that the Warp Star could be seen, closing quite fast, Geoffrey, Kautounie, Meta Knight, Tiff, and King Dedede were all on the look out for the wily half-demoness.

"Poyo, poyo!" Kirby cheered, readying himself for when the Warp Star became close enough.

"Hurry witch!" Nightmare grumbled inwardly to himself, growing nervous.

Nightmare levitated towards the Warp Star and attempted to snatch it right out of the air, but it was too fast and dodged his grasp. It was as if this thing had a will of it's own almost.

"Kirby, inhale it, now!" Tiff commanded.

At her order, Kirby began his inhale, aiming for his Warp Star. Everyone else on the Halberd's deck had to find something to brace themselves against from the violent torrent that came with the little Star Warrior's signature move. Nightmare watched, horrified as the Warp Star rapidly flew towards Kirby.

"RILEY PRESCOTT!" Nightmare snarled.

"Hey, lookie there!" King Dedede called, pointing to a faint discoloration in the sky.

Suddenly, familiar ethereal chains snapped from where Dedede had been previously looking and wrapped themselves around the Warp Star. Shortly after, Riley's form appeared, levitating on a cloud of roiling black and red mist. She was dressed differently, wearing a short skirted red dress with leather gauntlets and vest, with shoulder guards resembling those Nightmare himself wore. This time, she did not carry her staff, instead, she wielded duel chain whips.

"Don't get your robes in a bunch, Your Grace, I was watching!" Riley grumbled, straining against the pull of the Warp Star and Kirby's inhale.

Although Kirby had to stop his inhale due to fatigue, the Warp Star still bucked and pulled wildly against Riley's hold. Nightmare hesitated for a brief second, then continued his assault of the Halberd.

*Halberd Infirmary*

Neo didn't know how long she had been out, though in truth it had only been about twenty minutes. She awoke in a long, narrow room, with beds lining the wall and various computers and medical equipment. ' _I must be in the Halberd's infirmary,'_ she thought to herself as she sat up in bed.

Just as she was inspecting the bandages that looked as though they had been hastily slapped on, Neo felt something jarring the side of the ship, like a huge hand raking claws against the side.

"Shit..." she grumbled, throwing off the covers.

The young cub grunted and closed her eyes from the pain, but a quick healing spell soothed it away. Neo grabbed her hoodie and tied it around her waist, and her bow and quiver of arrows, which were hanging on a nearby hook.

"I'm so gonna get an earful from Meta Knight when this is over, after the crap I made him put up with..." Neo muttered softly to herself.

For the moment, she was unwatched, and Neo could sense that her friends needed some assistance. Lightly, the zwetoock cub left the infirmary and headed towards the source of the loudest noises, the Main Deck.

*Halberd, Main Deck, outside*

"We may not be able to harm Nightmare, but we can at least bring down that bitch, Riley!" Kautounie shouted, pointing Matilda in the witch's direction and firing.

Riley gritted her teeth from the pain and bled from where the shot pellets tore into her flesh, but she continued to fight Kirby for possession of the Warp Star.

"Hey Meta Knight, do those-?!" Geoffrey began as he pointed towards the main cannons on the Halberd.

Before he could finish his question, the cannon glowed with powerful energy and fired a bright orange laser beam straight for Riley. Geoffrey could certainly take that as a 'yes' to his question.

Riley screamed in pain, loosing her grip on the Warp Star and falling to the deck in a heap.

"Sword and Blade... those two boys deserve a raise!" Geoffrey commented, having been quite impressed with the Halberd's fire power.

The victory was short lived. Meta Knight's golden gaze could clearly be seen widening. She wasn't dead after that?! But, the sorceress was clearly weakened and breathing heavily.

"How the hell is she still alive?" Geoffrey asked, in disbelief, "This woman just wont die!"

 _'Firing on you with an entire ship?'_ Weston growled in the back of Riley's mind, _'Tisk, tisk, tisk, sister.'_

"Shut up Weston, make yourself useful!" Riley screamed, as she released her heavily armored brother.

Weston formed in front of Riley, shield and morning star in hand. Fey giggled and cackled wildly as she was let out once again, taking on her demonic form.

"Get that Warp Star!" Riley ordered, reforming her chain whips.

"Quick Kirby, suck it up!" Tiff ordered, reeling her own crackling whip back and ready for a strike.

Once again, Kirby began his inhale, only to be stopped by Weston as the hulking knight stepped in his way. Unfortunately for Kirby, the dark warrior was far to big and heavy for him to inhale. Every time the Warp Star would fly around to reach it's rightful master, Riley or her siblings would effectively block the way.

Fey cackled like a mad little girl, teleporting around the Halberd's deck, even attempting to ride the Warp Star herself before being bucked off and knocked right into King Dedede.

"Hey, it's just a game, right?" Fey gigled, smiling sadistically.

"Wrong, girlie!" King Dedede growled, swinging his mallet with all his might.

In the blink of an eye, Fey had vanished, leaving the frustrated king to pry his mallet out of the ship's deck.

With a triumphant laugh, Riley wrapped her chains around the Warp Star once again, only to be attacked by Tiff and Kirby. Tiff cracked her whip, entangling it around the Warp Star and pulled with all her might. Now it was a game of tug-o-war for it's possession. Tiff strained while Kirby began his inhale once again. Meanwhile, Weston, the walking tank, stomped towards the two of them, twirling his morning star.

"Oh no..." Tiff groaned.

Suddenly, Meta Knight appeared in front of Tiff and Kirby with a flap of his cape. Weston stopped for a moment, remembering what happened the last time he was on the receiving end of Galaxia. His wounds still had not fully healed. Perhaps the armored brute was smarter then he appeared.

"In the name of Holy Nightmare, I shall slaughter you here and now!" Weston bellowed.

Okay, maybe not.

"I'd like to see you try!" Meta Knight snorted, dodging Weston's strike, answering back with a well placed slash, catching the bigger fighter off guard.

The battle lasted like this for a few minutes, both sides evenly matched, fighting over the same prize. Eventually, Geoffrey dropped his emptied handgun, switching instead to a combat knife and clawed gauntlets. He and King Dedede caught Riley off guard, sending the sorceress tumbling across the deck, nearly off the edge.

"She didn't fall off?" King Dedede muttered, with some disappointment.

"Shit!" Riley groaned, slowly rising to her feet.

She could see Fey, screaming in pain from where Kautounie had sliced off her tail and calling the zwetoock every obscenity she knew. Weston wasn't faring much better, as Meta Knight and Tiff had done a good job wearing him out. There was a crack of thunder (whether from the storm outside or Tiff's electric whip, one could not be certain), and Weston was sent stumbling back from Tiff's electrified whip lash. Before the hulking black knight could regain his footing, Meta Knight unleashed his Mach Tornado, leaving Kirby to get to his Warp Star.

"Hurry, Kirby!" Meta Knight urged.

"RILEY!" Nightmare shrieked.

Riley became desperate. The stormy skies growled deeply, and thick bolts of lightning began striking the Halberd on her command.

"Kirby!" Kautounie shouted, as she and Meta Knight worked together to keep the lightning away from younger warrior.

Meta Knight absorbed the bolts with Galaxia, while Kautounie summoned her shield spell. The lightning only intensified once Tiff used her whip to keep the bolts at bay, giving Dedede and Geoffrey an unhindered route to Riley.

"Oh shit..." Kautounie grunted, looking up to see no less then three lightning bolts headed toward herself and Meta Knight.

She knew her shield wouldn't last much longer, and Meta Knight was getting tired. Then, much to their surprise, a familiar brightly fletched arrow pierced the deck in front of them, forming Neo's favorite shield, Ice Shield, around them, protecting Kirby, Meta Knight, and Kautounie from Riley's lightning bolts.

"What the?" Kautounie asked. "Neo?"

Sure enough, there was the little zetoock, perched on top of the main cannon. She scampered down, bounding on all fours until she reached Meta Knight and her sister.

"What are you doing out here?!" Meta Knight demanded, sounding both angry, yet happy that she had just saved his tin can.

"I couldn't sleep with all the racket you guys were making." Neo growled, eyes narrowing as she took her bow off her back again.

"How sweet, a family reunion, well I've-!" Nightmare started, only to have another face full of ultraviolet light snapped at him from a well executed Dazzle.

"Oh shut up!" Kautounie snarled.

Now that his path was wide open, Kirby was free to swallow the Warp Star. He quickly transformed, as did the Warp Star. It became smaller in size and the two ribbons of energy flowing behind it formed into a wand. Kirby now wielded the Star Rod, the one weapon Nightmare was helpless against.

"Yes! Alright Kirby, lets do this again!" Tiff shouted, while she kept Weston at bay with another lash of the whip.

"Who's on top now, bitch?!" Kautounie taunted, in Nightmare's general direction.

"Fey, Weston, get back!" Riley ordered, recalling her siblings back inside her body, with some disgruntled protest she promptly ignored.

Screaming, Riley teleported past Geoffrey and King Dedede, directly in front of Kirby, taking the brunt of his first attack for Nightmare. Shimmering stars, more then anyone would care to count, surrounded and pelted her body. She gritted her teeth from the pain, it was worse then Galaxia.

"Give me that... Star Rod!" Riley commanded.

A thin, black bladed knife appeared in the sorceress' free hand, while the other grabbed hold of the Star Rod with a death grip. But Kirby wasn't giving this up without a fight. He sent another charge of the Rod through the witch, causing her to fall to her knees. The pain was unbearable, sending an electric burn all throughout her body. And it didn't help that the rest of her adversaries were closing in fast.

"What do you think you're doing, witch?" Nightmare shouted, his eyes trailing towards the knife in Riley's hand.

"Your Grace, I suggest you get out of here!" Riley screamed in warning.

The wraith-like deity didn't need to be told again. He had done his part, now it was up to Riley to do the rest. With a cruel laugh, his form faded away.

"That cowardly bastard!" Kautounie cursed, lunging for Riley.

The half-demoness barely dodged the attack, by swinging Kirby around to take the hit instead. Before Kautounie realized what was happening, it was too late. Her claws raked across her own ally instead of Riley, before she slammed on the deck from her failed pounce. The younger Star Warrior cried out in surprise and pain. Now that was a low blow, even for Riley.

"Hmph, I'll spoil those cute looks!" Riley grumbled to Kirby, poising to strike with her knife.

Kirby let out another surprised cry, fighting to wretch the Star Rod out of her hand.

"Hold on, Kirby!" Neo called, firing an arrow while Meta Knight, Geoffrey, and Tiff surrounded the witch.

With a grunt, Riley jabbed the shadowy knife right into Kirby's side. He yelped, expecting to feel sharp pain. To his surprise, it didn't hurt. Before he couldn't fathom the mystery for too long, a dark aura began to surround the Star Rod, starting from where the thin blade had struck and flowing from Kirby's arms. As this happened, he felt his energy drain greatly. Kirby was struggling just to stand.

"Good luck with that now, Kirby!" Riley taunted, right before Neo's arrow struck and Meta Knight knocked the witch back with Galaxia.

But he didn't stop there. Meta Knight's fatherly instincts that he had kept buried in his heart for so long began to take full effect. There was no grace or beauty to his attacks. He just relentlessly wailed on the harpy as she struggled to defend herself.

Although in pain, Riley giggled madly as her curse began to take effect. When Kirby used the last of his energy and raised the Star Rod to make a third attack, the black aura engulfed the wand completely, causing it to quiver violently before eventually shattering into seven pieces that scattered in different directions. Kirby was beyond mortified, and the rest were stunned.

"What the hell just happened?!" Neo shouted.

Riley's face twisted into a smile of cruel delight. (Once Meta Knight quit pounding on her, of course.) It may not have been her original plan, but it would work just fine.

"Just what is that thing made out of, styrofoam?" Riley taunted.

"Grab the pieces!" King Dedede shouted, all of a sudden.

He clumsily dove down on the ground, aiming for a shimmering fragment of the Star Rod, but even bruised and bleeding, Riley was far to fast and got to it first. The sorceress had to think quickly, she couldn't let them take the pieces.

 _'You do know Lord Nightmare's going to be pissed when he finds out you broke his Warp Star, right?"_ Fey asked.

"Oh shut up, Fey!" Riley grumbled.

The witch worked as fast as she could, managing to gather three pieces of the Star Rod before being entangled in Tiff's whip. While she fought to get the lightning whip off of her, the remaining shards of the Star Rod levitated into the air on Riley's command. A rift opened in the sky above them, sending the fragments only the Gods know where. Tiff stood, horror struck for a moment.

She wasn't standing for very long. A second rift opened up in the sky, with a vortex stronger then Kirby's inhale, and it began to pull everyone except for Riley into it. Even the Halberd's hull groaned against the strain somewhat.

However, judging by the look on Riley's face, this was not the first time she had made such a mistake with a teleportation spell.

 _'Honestly sister, will you ever learn?'_ Weston asked.

"No, no, shit!" Riley cursed.

Kirby let out a pained, terrified cry and he limped, trying to find the pieces to his Star Rod. He could see Tiff struggling against the pull of the Rift's vortex, and he wasn't faring much better.

"Poyo, Medi Kni?!" Kirby yelped, closing his eyes.

"Kirby, stay with me!" Meta Knight called, appearing behind his apprentice, wrapping his arms and cape around Kirby protectively before the two of them were pulled inside.

"Kirby, Meta Knight!" Tiff screamed, right before she joined them.

Without question, Neo grabbed hold of Kautounie and willingly jumped into the rift. Wherever their companions were going, they were not about to let them go alone.

"What are you doing? This battle's not over!" Kautounie snarled, reaching out with her free hand.

"It is now, sister!" Neo snapped, closing her eyes and clinging to her sister.

Struggling against the vortex, Geoffrey and King Dedede both took a cheep shot at Riley while she was attempting to heal herself. The sorceress doubled over from Dedede's hammer strike, and Geoffrey ran his clawed hand all the way down her arm before sticking his knife into her side. She grunted in pain, and the last she saw of the rogue was that wise ass smile before he too was pulled inside

The only one who really seemed to have a fighting chance against the rift was King Dedede. It appeared that years of overeating lavish meals and little exercise were actually paying off this time, as his girth made him difficult to move. King Dedede slammed his mallet into the deck and held on for dear life.

With the duration of her spell fading, Riley collapsed, on her hands and knees, hyperventilating. While inspecting her injuries, which were quite serious, she realized that King Dedede was still with her. He pried his mallet from the deck and shuffled towards Riley, quickly joined by Sword Knight and Blade Knight as they came out on deck to assist their master in his fight, but they were too late. By the time they were halfway across, the rifts sealed shut and vanished.

"Sir Meta Knight!" Blade and Sword shouted in unison, horror clear in their voices.

Too exhausted to put up a fight, Riley didn't even attempt to defend herself from the king's and two younger knight's attacks. Instead, she held the Star Rod pieces she had claimed close to her body, even as the three angered warriors nearly threw her off the Halberd.

"What have you gone and done with Kirby and Meta Knight? If anyone was gonna send them down a rift in space it was gonna be me, woman!" King Dedede shouted.

"You're too late, boys." Riley taunted, her voice sounding even more eery with Fey's and Weston's joining her in unison.

"Where did you send them?!" Sword demanded, pointing his sword to Riley's throat.

"Wouldn't you like to know. Hmhmhmmmmmmm..." she laughed.

When King Dedede lunged for her, presumably to take the Star Rod pieces for himself, Riley willingly cast herself off the air ship and went free falling to the ground below.

King Dedede was wide-eyed and Sword and Blade gasped, looking over the edge of the Halberd. There was no sign of the vile sorceress. In terrifying silence they waited, again, there was not so much as a whisper of Riley.

"Sir Meta Knight an' Kirby re' gone, an' the Warp Star destroyed." Blade rasped, quietly.

"We can't loose hope, Blade. We've still got the Halberd and these people are countin' on us to protect them. Lets find any survivors we can here in Dreamland, and then we'll search for Sir Meta Knight and Kirby." Sword grunted, feeling new determination fill him.

"Wait here just a minute, I may not have a castle anymore by I'm still king here! We'll find any survivors we can, then we'll take this flyin' tin can and search for Meta Knight and Kirby! Good idea, glad I thought of it!" King Dedede stated, heading back towards the Halberd's bridge. "Now where's Escargoon at?" he demanded, completely changing the subject.

Sword and Blade glanced to each other. As long as King Dedede just thought he was in charge, there shouldn't be too much trouble, from him anyway. They couldn't be certain that Riley was dead. She had already proved that she was a match for the Halberd's main cannon. If anything, it might be a while until her next attack. But they had no idea where their master, Kirby, Tiff, or the Horvians could have gone. Still, with a sword in the hearts, lumps in their throats, the two knights returned to the bridge, with their new mission in mind.

*Riley Prescott, unknown*

All she remembered was falling off the Halberd, then darkness. When her eyes fluttered open, Riley found herself sitting up on a chessboard, floating in space, with giant pieces resembling monsters and warriors. It was much like what she had seen when she entered Kirby's mind, although it appeared to be newer. But the sorceress soon realized that she wasn't really awake, as she could see Weston standing over her. It was a very vivid dream she was having. Perhaps she hit the ground harder then she thought.

"Who let you out, Weston?!" Riley demanded as she stood up.

When Weston helped lift his sister to her feet, the witch promptly flicked his armored hands off of her.

"Ahem..." hissed an all too familiar voice.

Riley turned around to face Nightmare, who levitated in front of the game board, cloak wrapped around his ethereal body. Fey was giggling, sitting on the fiend's shoulder. By the looks of things, he had healed the hellion's tail and mended Weston's wounds.

"What are you doing inside my head? I don't recall inviting you in." Riley snorted, "And as you can already see, Your Grace, it's crowded enough in here."

"Fine, perhaps next time I'll simply let you fall to your death. Here, take some of this, you'll feel better in no time." Nightmare grunted, tossing a small flask of red liquid to Riley.

"I could have survived that fall on my own."

"Of course you could have..." Nightmare groaned.

Hesitatingly, Riley picked up the flask and drained it's contents. It was like a fine wine, although it made her body feel somewhat strange. But she felt much better afterwords, as the demon lord had promised.

"Now then, I did my part, what about you?" Nightmare inquired, holding out his hand expectantly.

Riley took two shards of the Star Rod out of her leather vest, but a look of panic crossed her face. The third shard of the Star Rod was missing! Suddenly she remembered. Geoffrey! He wasn't just going in for one last attack out of spite, he was stealing one of her fragments. And by the looks of things, he succeeded.

"That son of a bitch, Collins!" Riley snarled. "I had three pieces!"

Nightmare's smile dropped. He had heard her correctly... pieces.

"Pieces? What is this? I asked you to bring me Kirby's Warp Star not part of it!" he growled with disdain.

"Told you, sissy!" Fey cackled.

"That... that fat penguin king and Geoffrey sucker punched me. Then the wannabe zwetoock got sucked into the rift, but I guess Dedede was so massive he was able to escape it's pull..."

"Rift?" Nightmare inquired.

He was most intrigued and angered as to where this was going.

"Well, after I shattered the Star Rod into seven pieces, I couldn't let them take back the shards and put that accursed wand back together again. After I collected my three parts, I sent the rest to Horva, in the guard of my most trusted servants and allies. Better my soldiers have the shards then them. But I didn't expect that second rift to open up and take Kirby and company inside!" Riley explained, "the Halberd's still on the loose, along with Dedede and Meta Knight's two pets, but I don't think that will be much a threat to you, Your Grace."

"She's had bad luck with mass teleportation lately." Weston commented.

"Both of you, shut the hell up!" Riley screamed, holding her hands over her ears and closing her eyes as though she were in pain.

Holy Nightmare could not believe what he was hearing. Rifts, broken Warp Stars, the Halberd still soared the skies. He had enough.

"ALL OF YOU!" he shouted, pounding his fist on the chessboard, causing it to crack from the impact.

Once Riley and her siblings stopped bickering, Nightmare continued.

"I want that Warp Star... and the one who wields it!"

"And you'll have it, Your Grace! Let Kirby and his friends wonder about Horva, looking for the pieces. If they even survive, you'll still have your shard and I'll have mine. They'll waste weeks if not months digging for a needle in a haystack. While they do, we can effectively take over Dreamland, set up your new empire, and keep the Halberd and what's left of it's crew busy or destroyed... preferably destroyed." Riley suggested, smirking, "And I know that if they do somehow manage to get the shards on Horva... they'll have to come to you and me to get the last two parts. When they do, we'll just have to take their shards. You'll have a whole Warp Star to do with what you wish, you'll have the universe, I'll have my pet Chimera, we can make our own little wars together and make innocent lives all over the galaxy miserable. We both win."

Nightmare still wasn't fully convinced. He wanted the whole Star Rod. But Fey's next words got him to change his mind.

"You seem to like games, don't you? That's why you've got this chessboard all set up here. Well, what fun is a game if there's no challenge to it?" Fey questioned.

Nightmare paused, stroking his chin thoughtfully. Come to think of it, he could use a new challenge to go with his second chance at life. At least if the Star Rod was broken, Riley didn't have it either, and with himself holding part of it, no one could ever use it against him again. Besides, in the end, what possible harm could anyone do while he held the most powerful hand at the table?

"Hmmm, you have a point, child. Perhaps we could all use a little fun." Nightmare hissed, waving his hand over the board.

With a single motion, several new figures were summoned onto the chessboard, very much resembling the members of Kirby's team. There was Kirby himself, holding a sword much like the one Kautounie had let him borrow. Meta Knight, proudly holding Galaxia aloft. Tiff, with her spell book open in one hand, and a black wand in her other hand. Neo, an arrow knocked in her bow ready to fire. Kautounie, who held vibrant pink flames in the palm of her hand. And finally, Geoffrey, wielding duel hand guns. Among the other summoned pieces were King Dedede, Sword and Blade Knight, and even the Halberd. On Nightmare's side of the board, he created pieces resembling Riley herself and her siblings, along with her pack of hell hounds, the largest of which resembled Glasya.

"And now... it's time to play..." Nightmare said with evil glee, just before Riley's vision went dark again.

Her eyes snapped open, for real this time. Riley was lying outside the ruins of Cappy Town. She didn't look as though she had been in a brutal fight or had fallen from the sky, so that magic juice Nightmare gave to her in her dream must have affected her mortal body. Riley groaned and got to her feet, looking to Castle Dedede in the distance. Well, she couldn't call it that anymore. It was hers now. How about Castle Prescott? Yeah, that sounded much nicer.

 _'And I thought Meta Knight was a bit of a narcissist.'_ Weston groaned, in the back of Riley's mind.

Riley's hands patted her vest, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her piece of the Star Rod was still there. Then she looked over her shoulder. The Halberd was no where to be seen. She must have been put under by Lord Nightmare for some time. In the burning wreckage, something shiny caught the witch's eye. When Riley went to investigate, she couldn't help but laugh inwardly at the find. It was a knife, a fine quality one. The same one Geoffrey had plunged into her side, as a matter of fact.

"Oh... you sly bastard..." Riley muttered, placing the knife in a small sheath on her belt.

One thing was for sure. The game was on.

 **Author's Notes::** Alrighty then, there's a lot of SSBB influence here, starting with the most obvious, a brawl on the Halberd's deck. Second, the title, 'Kabu, Send me a Warp Star', I was thinking of the little mission thingie in SSBB, 'Slippy, Send me a Landmaster', while I was working on this.

Damn, that bitch Riley just will... not... die! Lets see, she has been shot, stabbed, slashed, pierced, electrocuted, burnt, pounded, and now she's been shot by the Halberd's main cannon and can still put up a fight! (She's basically a Slasher Villain!) What's going to happen, now that the Star Rod has been shattered? Where have the Dreamlanders and Horvians gone? Will King Dedede run the Halberd into the ground? Do you even give a shit about my rambling? Well, if you're reading this, I sure as hell hope so! Keep an eye out for updates! Things are going to get interesting!

Side notes: I LOVE writing scenes with Nightmare and Riley together.

For some reason, I was picturing Fey sitting on Nightmare's shoulder, so I had to write that in.

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	10. Meet the Pack

In Your Nightmares, Meet the Pack

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and use of Strong Medication.

If anyone had ever wondered what a parakeet felt like if it were sucked into a twister, our small band of heroes found out. Anyone brave enough to open their eyes could see a blur of space before them, pulling violently at their bodies from all directions. Kirby cried out, in fear and pain, but Meta Knight held the child close to him.

"I've got you, little one. Hold on..." Meta Knight gasped, through great discomfort.

"Oh shit... not again!" Geoffrey groaned.

Suddenly, the distortion of their forced dimensional travel had come to a violent end, as the rift opened up and dumped it's passengers to the hard, dusty ground below. Kautounie and Neo couldn't suppress their groans as Tiff landed on top of the two sisters.

"Sorry..." she moaned, sounding rather dizzy and confused.

Next it was Geoffrey's turn, as Meta Knight and Kirby both landed on the rouge's chest, quite roughly.

"Are you... alright..., Kirby?" Meta Knight asked tiredly, but heavily concerned for the well being of his student.

He lifted his cape, looking down at the shaking pink puffball that was still clinging to him. With a small 'poyo', Kirby nodded his head. He was still weak from Riley's curse, and her teleportation spell didn't do anything to ease the pain.

"Owww..." was Geoffrey's off handed response to the two Star Warriors.

Dizzy, but realizing where he was, Meta Knight attempted to get off of the human, only to blindly trip on his own cape and roll off in an undignified matter instead, Kirby still tightly clutched in his protective grasp..

Though his vision was blurry, Meta Knight could make out the shapes of Neo, Kautounie, and Tiff, in a dog pile of sorts. But King Dedede was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he was still on the Halberd. But what if Riley and Nightmare had taken over his beloved ship? Where Sword and Blade alright? Were they able to get their refugees out of danger? Would King Dedede insist on taking command and crash the Halberd before Nightmare and Riley had a chance to destroy her? No, no, that thought was too painful to even think about! Oh, to many thoughts and 'what ifs', all at once. It made his head hurt.

Meta Knight could tell that they were in a barren wasteland. The only things around them were dirt, rocks, weeds, and some dried up dead trees in the distance. Up above, the sky was dark and gray, and the stagnant air had quite a chill to it. One thing was for sure, they were not on Pop Star anymore.

The old veteran struggled to his feet and took a few steps, then collapsed to the dusty ground, breathing heavily. And by the looks of things, no one was in any shape to be going anywhere but down. After the long battles and spent stamina, followed by that violent rift, everyone was exhausted.

"Who... are we... kidding...?" Neo asked, before passing out.

"Ti... Medi... Kni..." Kirby whimpered softly, before closing his eyes as he blacked out.

No one knew how long they had laid there on the ground, as everyone was constantly falling in and out of consciousness. In the distance, a pounding noise could be heard, and it was getting closer, and closer.

Meta Knight, as he slipped back into consciousness, slowly crawled towards Tiff and the sisters, only to collapse half way. Kirby moaned in discomfort with his eyes tightly shut.

"Stay with me now, Kirby. Stay with me." Meta Knight breathed, quietly.

Through unfocused eyes, he could vaguely make out shapes in the distance, that looked like rather large hoofed animals heading their way. Horses, if he recollected correctly. But it was not those things that were making the barking and yipping noises, it was their riders. Once they were closer, he could see that these animals were carrying zwetoocks on their backs.

Kautounie opened her eyes, just barely, and yelped softly, before falling back asleep. Before long, they were surrounded. Meta Knight couldn't remember exactly what happened, or if he had just dreamed the whole thing up. He could see these other zwetoocks, five in number, (the females easily distinguished from the males by their brightly colored manes) dismounting their horses and rushing towards them. Instinctively, Meta Knight reached for Galaxia's hilt.

These zwetoocks were dressed in a primitive fashion, wearing only simple loin cloths and tribal jewelry with colorful feathers. Meta Knight immediately relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief. He recognized their tribal designs from his days in the GSA and the jewelry that Neo and Kautounie wore. These were Redsuns.

The canids cautiously approached the incapacitated adventurers, pointing and yipping to each other, though most of their attention went to Kautounie, Neo, and Kirby.

Before long, one of the Redsuns, a female with a royal blue mane, who looked to be the leader of the small pack, carefully took Kirby from Meta Knight's grasp. Gently, she pressed a flask to his lips and made him drink. By the looks of things, whatever was inside didn't taste very good. A small amount dribbled out the corner of his mouth from where he had attempted to spit it out. Confused and disoriented, Kirby struggled against the zwetoock that held him, only to fall limp when she ran her hand across his back and shoulders, muttering indecipherable but soothing words.

"Kirby... do not resist them. They are trying... to help you." Meta Knight pleaded, just before he was propped up into a sitting position.

Then it was his turn to get a mouthful of that thick, red mystery brew. The Redsun that held him slid his mask up just enough to pour the liquid into his mouth. It was truly disgusting, like an overpowering herbal syrup. Despite how unknightly it was, he spat it out. With a grunt, the female healer behind him rubbed his back and shoulders. The comforting touch caused Meta Knight to succumb just long enough for her to gave him another dose. This time, she covered his mouth with a firm paw, forcing him to swallow. Once it was down his throat, she removed her paw. Meta Knight coughed and gagged for a moment. Maybe he spoke to soon.

The canids yelped and barked to each other, working quickly to give everyone a mouthful of that awful tasting herbal medicine. Apparently it wasn't popular with Tiff, Neo, Kautounie, or Geoffrey, as they too wanted nothing more then to spit the thick red liquid out. Thankfully, the Redsuns were kind enough to give everyone a few sips of water to wash the horrible taste out of their mouths.

"Dear Sundar... what the f*** is that... shit?" Geoffrey grumbled, in a daze.

Meta Knight couldn't understand everything the zwetoocks were saying, as the medicine he had been given was making him quite groggy, but he could make out ' _the Alphess' cubs'_ , _'hurry',_ and _'I'll take the small ones,'_.

He stayed awake just long enough to see Tiff being carefully loaded onto one of the horses before it's rider, a lithe black pelted male zwetoock, jumped on behind her and held onto her with one hand so she wouldn't fall off. Meta Knight noted that these zwetoocks took exceptional care with Neo and Kautounie.

Then, surprisingly gentle paw-like hands plucked him up off the ground and put him onto the back of a large gray horse. Still disoriented, Meta Knight grabbed a handful of the animal's mane so he would be able to stay on. The blue maned leader leaped on behind him, still carrying Kirby in the crook of her arm. She called to her small pack, each one carrying a member of the team on their horses, and they left with all haste, leaving the waste land behind them. Meta Knight leaned heavily against his rescuer, feeling the comforting warmth of her fur. Then everything went dark.

*Unknown location, nighttime*

Strangely enough, where Meta Knight woke up looked quite familiar. He was inside a sturdy bluish gray stone structure, with a stairway leading up to the entryway, and a raised dais with a small star shaped carving, just the perfect size for a Warp Star to fit. The cave-like room was lit softly by the fires burning outside. If the veteran warrior wasn't mistaken, he was inside Kabu! But there was something different. This was not quite like the Kabu back in Dreamland. Leather cords laced with colorful beads and feathers were tied in various places. Against the wall by the stairs were two large banners, the first depicting a dragon holding the sun and the second, an ornate rose surrounded by flames. The stone floor had many makeshift beds made of soft grasses, leaves, and fur pelts lined up against the right side of the wall.

Tiff was lying close to him, and Geoffrey, Kautounie, and Neo were resting not too far away. By the looks of things, someone or something had been taking care of them, as their wounds from previous battles were fully healed and there were some platters of food, water, and primitive medical tools and bandages set nearby.

Suddenly, Meta Knight felt his heart skip a beat. Where was Kirby? He looked down when something small and warm nuzzled against him. Kirby was lying next to his mentor, awake, but still using a fold of his cape for a blanket.

"Oh..." he thought softly to himself, feeling rather silly.

Then he realized that they were not alone. Meta Knight glanced up to see two zwetoocks, a male and a female, kneeling beside him, more so, beside Kirby. The male was coal black, tall, (for a zwetoock) and heavily built. His mate was lithe and thin, and looked somewhat fragile. She looked a lot like Neo and Kautounie, although her mane was streaked with prismatic stripes. On the floor beside her was an impressive staff, topped with a carving of a dragon's head. Both wore only loin cloths and lots of ornate tribal jewelry and feathers. What was more, Meta Knight knew these two, from a long time ago.

"You are troubled, little one," the female whispered, slowly handing Kirby some fruit, "I know, Kabu told me all about it while you rested."

A small 'poyo' escaped Kirby's mouth sadly as he nodded. He flinched slightly as the large male shuffled forward and knelt down, placing a paw-like hand on Meta Knight's shoulder.

"Your highness... Tamoko... Rhego... Redsun...?" Meta Knight questioned, still groggy.

The female looked up from feeding Kirby and flicked her ears at the sound of that unmistakable voice. It was now Meta Knight could see the scars across Tamoko's eyes, and the light blue color of her irises. If he wasn't mistaking, she was blind.

"I remember that voice well..." she mused softly, letting Kirby take the rest of the berries and free up both her hands, "the little one woke up and was hungry. You've all been sleeping for days, waking periodically long enough for my healers to feed you before you pass out again. But you probably don't remember any of that. Zwetoock medicine is rather... potent..."

She reached out, and her mate guided her hand to Meta Knight.

"Sir Meta Knight... it has been a long time," Tamoko sighed, "I must apologize for the... insistence of my scouts. But when they found you with my daughters and son, and the two small ones, prone and disoriented in the Badlands, they had to act quickly. What do you think you were doing out there like that? That's Bloodtooth territory. Do you have any idea what they do to Redsuns and Star Warriors they capture? You're lucky my scouts found you first."

Now Meta Knight understood just how close of a call they had. The Bloodtooth were a savage and violent zwetoock tribe, Demon worshiping, Nightmare cultists. No wonder Riley chose to dump them there!

"Trust me, princess, it was not our idea to be out there,"

"Ah, it is Alphess now, Sir Meta Knight..." Tamoko corrected.

"Forgive my mistake, your majesty," Meta Knight said, bowing his head slightly.

"No need to ask my forgiveness, old friend. I only wish that I could actually see you again, but it is comforting to hear your voice..."

Meta Knight felt both a little flattered yet disappointed. He had no idea that Tamoko had been blinded for all these years. But by the looks of things, if she were Alphess, she must not be in any way helpless. After briefly catching up with the Alphess, he explained their situation, (as much as he knew, anyway) starting from when he met Neo, Kautounie, and Geoffrey all the way up to when they were sucked into the rift and dumped on Horva. All the while he unwittingly stroked Kirby, holding his apprentice close to him.

"I knew something was wrong when my cubs did not return after their... as they call it... weekend getaway. So Nightmare has returned. That bastard sorcerer god," Tamoko cursed, pinning her ears back against her head, "And Riley used my cubs as well as yours to bring him back..."

"I'm afraid it is true, Alphess." Meta Knight confessed.

It was then he caught on to what Tamoko had just said. Wait a second! His cub? Did she think Kirby was his son or something? Before he could inquire further into this slight misunderstanding, the Redsun Alphess sighed heavily and leaned into Rhego. She glanced in the direction where her children, biological and adopted, were beginning to stir from their sleep, along with Tiff. She closed her eyes, thinking heavily as her mate stroked her. The Alphess knew of Riley's trickery, ambitions, and what she was capable of. Tamoko had just never seen the witch to use HER children to gain her power and revive an old adversary back from the dead.

When the others were up, they looked around, a bit confused. Naturally, the three Redsuns were the first to relax, realizing that they were back home in the Crimson Woods, inside the wise and powerful know-it-all, Kabu. Tiff on the other hand, looked quite surprised and alarmed until Meta Knight calmed her down.

"Tiff, do not be alarmed. We are safe here. This is Alphess Tamoko of the Redsun clan, and her mate, Alpha Rhego," he introduced, before the girl could speak, "they are friends of mine, from long ago."

Tamoko and Rhego both greeted Tiff in typical zwetoock fashion, to which the girl returned the greeting politely. However, it was the words that came out of Neo's and Kautounie's mouths that somewhat shocked her.

"Hello mother... father..." the two sisters said, feeling somewhat ashamed to be in their presence after everything that had happened over the past week.

"I am just glad you are safe, my children..." Tamoko responded, kneeling down beside her two daughters, closely followed by her mate.

"Wait a minute, your mother and father are the leaders of your...eh...pack?" Tiff questioned, turning her gaze to Neo and Kautounie.

"The wolf's out of the woods now, I guess," Neo sighed, running her hand through her bright pink mane.

"We don't like flaunting our titles around... unlike some other fellas I know," Kautounie explained, inwardly thinking of King Dedede at the time, "but yes... my sister and I are princesses of the Redsun pack."

After giving each of her daughters a welcoming, heartfelt hug and greeting, Tamoko turned to Geoffrey. The human stood up, still a little unsteady on his feet, and bowed.

"It's good to see you again, your majesty..."

"Geoffrey, what have I told you? You may not be a zwetoock on the outside, but you are still my son. There is no need to be so formal." Tamoko sighed.

"In that case, great to be home, mom!" Geoffrey shrugged, pulling the old Alphess into a warm embrace.

After reacquainting herself with her children and their companions, Tamoko insisted that they stay and rest a while longer.

"Go ahead, eat, regain your strength. I will leave you to speak with Kabu, perhaps he could be of assistance..." she suggested.

Rhego wordlessly helped his mate up the stairs, and the two left the small group alone.

"Poyo, Ti...?" Kirby asked, as he uncurled himself from Meta Knight's cape and approached Tiff.

The little Star Warrior had a sad expression on his face.

"I don't know, Kirby. But things don't look good for us. I can't believe Riley-" Tiff cut herself off, realizing that what she was saying was greatly upsetting Kirby.

What were they to do now? Sure, they could still fight against Riley's and Nightmare's demon-beast armies, but without the Star Rod, they were helpless against Nightmare himself.

"Hey Tiff... you're wrong..." Geoffrey sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"Riley didn't get all the pieces to that Star Rod."

The rogue looked through all his coat pockets, eventually finding what he was looking for. He took Tiff's hand in his and handed her a small, yellow shard of the Star Rod! It glowed faintly in Tiff's hand, and instantly a spark of hope ignited within her. Even Kirby looked much happier.

"But...but I saw Riley take some of the pieces a-and send the rest down that teleport rift... thing!" Tiff exclaimed.

She was having a hard time putting her words together.

"Yeah, and before I followed you guys, Triple D and I sucker punched the bitch. I was only able to swipe one of the pieces from her, but there you go. It's the least I could do after what I put you and Kirby though," Geoffrey mentioned, "I hope you'll both be able to forgive me."

Neo and Kautounie both nodded, and even Meta Knight appeared to be impressed, at least that's what the human was hoping. It was devilishly hard to read the old veteran, he was always hiding behind that mask and armor.

"Thanks, Geoffrey. Thank you so much!" Tiff said, tightening her hand around the shard.

Kirby even approached Geoffrey. He looked a little nervous at first, but then he gave the human a hug, (well, his shin a hug, anyway.) The human rogue looked a little awkward, and Meta Knight's eyes glowed pink in amusement.

"Well, it's not much, but it's a start." Kautounie stated, taking a piece of dried meat off the platter that had been left for them.

None of them, except for perhaps Kirby, could actually remember the last time they had eaten. The dried meats were nice and salty and the fruit and water was sweet. While the Redsuns, Tiff, and Kirby all ate together, Meta Knight sat alone with his back to them. He was quite zealous about his identity... or perhaps he was just shy and didn't want to admit it.

About halfway through their meal, a familiar booming, disembodied voice filled the room,

"I can sense that you are troubled. Nightmare has returned to our universe and seeks to conquer it once again." droned Kabu.

"Yeah... um... tell us something we don't know..." Geoffrey began, "please..." he added quickly, partially because of the dirty look he got from Tiff.

There was a brief silence.

"Please, Kabu. I-I know your counterpart back in Dreamland. He protected Kirby's Warp Star for years," Tiff pleaded, "But it's been broken into seven pieces by the witch, Riley Prescott. How can we find them?"

"Four of the shards you seek are here on Horva, guarded by Riley's most feared generals. One, you already have, the other two are held by Riley and Nightmare, on Pop Star." Kabu explained.

"Well... can't win them all." Neo sighed, "but at least we know where we stand."

"Yeah, in deep shit." grumbled Kautounie.

Meta Knight stood up from his meal and turned around. His eyes narrowed slightly as he wrapped his cloak around his body. Kirby stared up at the ceiling, where he thought the booming voice must have been coming from.

"Kabu, where would be a good place to begin our search?" Meta Knight asked, thoughtfully.

"The Free City... one of the shards is there," Kabu answered, "use the one that you have, it will lead you to the other shards."

A sly smile crossed Geoffrey's face. Of course, the Free City of Thea'or! He had a friend, (more of a co-worker actually,) that lived there. Perhaps she could be of help.

"Thanks a million, Kabu!" he shouted, already feeling his heart pounding inside his chest out of excitement.

"Geoffrey, do you know something?" Meta Knight questioned.

"You bet your ass I do. More like someone. If there's anything shiny, valuable, and powerful in Horva, odds are... she'll know about it!"

"She?"

"Garna Riverdale..."

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, rubbing his head in confusion.

Meta Knight didn't exactly trust Geoffrey, (you could never fully trust a thief after all). More so he wasn't too keen on meeting any of Geoffrey's... friends. Yet, there was a small spark, like Meta Knight knew had heard the name 'Garna 'Riverdale' before, but he just couldn't place it! But it wasn't as if they had a lot of options open to them at this point either.

"Oh, she'll just love you and Kirby, Sir Meta Knight." Geoffrey said.

If he was trying to sound reassuring, it probably wasn't working to well, as the rogue could hear Meta Knight's barely suppressed groan. Meanwhile Kautounie and Neo snickered and muttered to each other.

"Well... at least we've got a plan." Tiff piped in, trying to be optimistic.

With a hopeful smile, the girl pulled Kirby into a hug. It was good to hear him chiding happily again, even if no one could really understand him.

"Thanks, Kabu." she said, softly.

Later that evening, Tamoko had returned, anxious to hear what information they had gotten from Kabu. The Alphess and her mate listened intently. Tamoko felt her heart sink a little. She didn't want her cubs to set out on another journey again so soon, she had just gotten them back. But, with a heavy sigh, she nodded.

"Mother, it's our fault Riley got that scroll in the first place," Neo admitted,"we've got to make this right! Besides, we can't abandon our friends, not when they need us most."

"I understand... child," Tamoko sighed, "the pack has been warned about Nightmare's return, we take precautions as we speak."

Her ears twitched as Kautounie and Neo both lowered their heads.

"We were so stupid! It was too easy and we should have seen it!" Kautounie hissed, pounding her fist on one of the fur pelts.

"Wisdom is not given, wisdom is earned. We learn through our mistakes." Tamoko said, placing her hand on Kautounie's shoulder, "Do not doubt yourself, daughter. You have already taken responsibility, a good start. One day, you too will be a great Alphess."

Kautounie and Neo both glanced nervously, although they felt comforted from an approving nod, courtesy of Meta Knight.

"Sir Meta Knight, my friend. You will keep them out of trouble, wont you?" The Alphess asked, turning her blind gaze to the blue puffball.

"Trouble seems to find us, your majesty." Tiff interjected, scratching Kirby on the back.

"But I will do my best." Meta Knight said.

Tamoko smiled endearingly at Meta Knight. She knew that she could count on him.

"Rest well, my cubs and friends. Come see my husband and I in the morning. There are some things I would like you to have for your journey..." she said, before climbing up the stairs once again.

They bade the Alpha pair a good night before the two of them disappeared into the night. With a plan and a place to go, the group settled down for the night once again, thinking about the adventures that lay ahead. Meta Knight groaned as he felt something tug on his cape. His expression softened when he saw it was Kirby. Tiff just shrugged. Apparently the smaller warrior didn't want to stray too far from his mentor in this strange new world.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, giving the knight one of his cute looks.

"How can you say no to that face?" Neo giggled, quickly joined by Tiff and Kautounie.

"Fine, young one. But don't make a habit of it..." Meta Knight moaned as his heart gave in.

As soon as the older warrior had made himself comfortable in his makeshift bed, Kirby snuggled into his cape and in an instant, he was asleep. His eyes glowed pink for a moment, showing his amusement. Geoffrey was about to say something, presumably about how cute the two of them were together, but a harsh red glare from Meta Knight was enough to tell the human to keep his mouth shut. Tiff settled down next to the two puffballs, where she could keep a watch on Kirby, as usual. The sisters curled up into balls on either side of Geoffrey and were gently snoring. Well, it was going to be a long adventure, so they may as well have one last night of comfortable rest.

*Crimson Woods, morning*

Tiff awoke only to find that Neo, Kautounie, Geoffrey, and Kirby were already up, however, Meta Knight was no where to be seen. Moving quickly, they scooped up their supplies and headed out of Kabu and into the cool morning air outside. Now the full splendor of the Crimson Woods could be seen. It was no wonder how the place got it's name. All the trees had leaves and foliage of bright and dark reds, instead of the usual green.

Neo and Kautounie led the way to a small clearing, where the ruins of an ancient keep stood, now overgrown by massive tree roots and vines. Zwetoocks of all shapes and sizes wondered about, carrying on with their business, although they would stop to take a look at Tiff and Kirby. Tiff thought she recognized a few of them. Perhaps they were with the scouts that had saved them? But then again, she didn't remember that too well.

"Don't let them bother you, Tiff." Geoffrey muttered, looking down to the girl.

"I'm not bothered. It's just... sort of weird here. I feel out of place. This isn't like Dreamland at all." Tiff sighed, "but it is very beautiful."

"Poyo, poyo, Ti..." Kirby agreed, cutely waving his arms in the air.

"And we'd like to keep it that way." Kautounie grunted, taking a longing look around her.

Waiting for them at the front of the overgrown ruins were Tamoko Redsun, her mate, and Meta Knight. Apparently the Star Warrior had been conversing with the Alpha pair for a while now. Tamoko nodded, then Meta Knight joined his companions, cloak wrapped tightly around his body from the chill. Three zwetoocks were close by, one of them the blue maned scout from earlier, grooming and saddling up three horses.

Tamoko, using her staff to guide her, stepped in front of Kirby and knelt down to his level.

"Kirby, young Star Warrior. Sir Meta Knight tells me that you're becoming quite the swordsman," Tamoko said.

She smiled as she listened to Kirby's excited chiding. It was quite a pity she couldn't see his bright, happy, innocent eyes staring back up at her.

"I'd like you to take this!" she exclaimed, summoning an icy machete into her hands, "Winterclaw!"

It radiated a cold aura, and the blade was covered in unmelting frost. On the hilt was a light blue gem stone and carving of an ivory wolf's head on the handle.

"The machete in the favored blade of my people. Single edged, small, but fast! Take good care of Winterclaw, Kirby of the Stars, and Winterclaw will take good care of you."

With a smile, Kirby swallowed the sword, although he didn't transform. Apparently he was just storing the weapon for later use. Although he did get quite a rise out of the rest of the zwetoocks watching, and even Geoffrey found himself wondering how exactly Kirby was able to do it. Rhego sniffed at the pink puff a few times, just to make sure he was alright. Apparently satisfied, he rejoined his mate.

"Geoffrey... my son," Tamoko began, "I know you have a fondness for things that go... 'boom'..."

"Indeed I do, mom..." Geoffrey smirked, as the Alphess handed him a small leather pouch.

Inside were several gemstones, and the thief's eyes lit up like a Christmas Tree.

"No way! Are these really-?"

"Exploding Gems... they work quite well, I assure you. Easier to conceal then those... clunky fruit grenades of yours. Use these wisely though, they are good only once, but can get you out of a pinch in a hurry." Tamoko explained.

Geoffrey had wanted to correct the old zwetoock. They were called pineapple grenades, not fruit grenades. (Besides, never a good idea to correct your mother! Especially when she is the Redsun Queen.) But more so, the rogue always wanted to get his hands on these little gems for a long time. Shiny, beautiful, very rare, and explosive. What could be more perfect?

"Thanks, mom..."

Next, Tamoko stood before Tiff, who straightened up, even though the Alphess could not see her.

"Ah, an aspiring sorceress! Already I can feel the arcane energy surrounding you, young one. In such a short time you have learned so much. Here, take this."

With a flourish, a small black wand appeared in Tamoko's hand. It was quite ornate, with a dragon's head carved into the handle. Two acid green feathers were tied around the base. Tiff gratefully accepted the wand. Now she could give Neo's back to her.

"This is Wicked. She holds a nasty surprise for anyone who would wish to do you harm." Tamoko explained.

Tiff flicked the wand, and a bubbling whip of acid formed, startling the surrounding zwetoocks and even her own companions. Hastily and blushing a little, Tiff recalled the whip back into Wicked.

"I see... ehe... thank you, your majesty." Tiff said, taking a quick bow.

Next it was Neo's turn. This time, it was Alpha Rhego who presented her with the gift. A powerful looking bow, with runes carved into the wood and two dragon heads, one at each end, holding onto the bowstring.

"For my youngest cub, Neo. This is Heartseeker. In the hands of a worthy archer, it will not easily miss." Tamoko informed.

Neo's tail began to wag uncontrollably as she accepted her new bow. It felt so perfect as she held it in her hands. She couldn't wait to test it out in a real battle.

"Mother, father, I shall use it well. Thank you."

Tamoko now faced Kautounie. The elder sister bowed her head, only to have her mother lift in back up.

"For my oldest daughter, and heir to my throne, future Alphess or the Redsuns, I give you... this."

Tamoko muttered an incantation, and out of her staff, she pulled out an exotic, double-bladed sword and handed it to Kautounie. The fearsome young warrioress examined the craftsmanship of the curved blades and the intricate handle. It could either be used like a duel bladed quarter staff, or it could split into two separate swords.

"This Defender served me well when I was your age, child. Now I want you to have it. Rumor has it, that this particular weapon was forged from the fires of Horva's beloved dragons, over a thousand years ago."

"Mother... I-I-I... I don't know what to say..." Kautounie shuddered, completely at a loss for words.

"How about 'thank you', my child... and the promise to use this sword to cut down Nightmare's forces and make them wish they'd never seen the light of day!" suggested Tamoko, "I'll say, it's much more elegant then that... shotgun you seem so fond of..."

The Defender sword easily collapsed into an easier form to carry it in and slid right into the sheath on Kautounie's back. Indeed, it was a beautiful weapon, but Matilda was staying.

"Thank you, mother... father..." Kautounie said, taking a quick bow.

Last but not least, Tamoko approached Meta Knight. She knelt down to his level, placing her paw on his shoulder guard and sighed.

"Sir Meta Knight... there is no greater gift I can give to you then the one you already have."

Meta Knight looked confused for a moment, unconsciously loosening his cape and placing a hand on Galaxia's hilt. Tamoko's ears flicked and she laughed softly.

"Galaxia, she is a fine blade, Sir Meta Knight. But I do not speak of steel, gold, or jewels." Tamoko explained.

"What do you speak of, your majesty?"

"The cub you thought you would never have." the Alphess answered.

Meta Knight's eyes turned bright green for a moment. There was no mistaking it, she was talking about Kirby!

"Kirby? No, no, your majesty. He is not my child. I am his teacher, and he is my student," Meta Knight stated, bluntly, "Sure, he is my friend, sometimes, he is even my rival. I'm afraid there has been a slight misunderstanding."

Tamoko's smile only widened, causing Meta Knight's cheeks to warm as he blushed under his mask. Thank the Stars, Sundar, the trees, and anything else around at the time that no one could see the look of shock on his face.

"That's what you say now, my friend. You're mind tells you one thing, but you're heart tells you another," Tamoko whispered.

When she was finished, Alpha Rhego took what appeared to be a bone dagger off his belt and handed it to Meta Knight. Upon closer inspection, the dagger was made from the tooth of a rather large beast, and incredibly sharp.

 _"Take it, my friend. You never know when you might need one."_ Rhego said, speaking in the zwetoock tongue, _"Some say that this dagger is made from the fang of Sundar himself. I would be honored if you carried it!"_

 _"I thank you, your majesties!"_ Meta Knight answered back, taking a bow.

He froze slightly as he felt something rub against him, only to realize that it was just Kirby being affectionate again. The knight could hear Tamoko laugh softly to herself. Come to think of it, was she even blind? With a sigh, Meta Knight placed his new dagger beside Galaxia on his belt and gave Kirby a few pats on the head. Tiff couldn't help stifling a small laugh. Nothing like life and death situations to bring people closer together. Before she forgot, Tiff handed Neo back her wand, now that she no longer needed it, for which the young zwetoock thanked her. Now... it was time to head out.

"May the blessings of the Great Dragon go with you all!" Tamoko announced, as she wished them all luck on their mission.

"So, how are we going to get to this Free City anyway?" Tiff asked, "walk?"

"Nope... why walk when you can ride?" Geoffrey retorted, gesturing to the horses that were ready and waiting for them.

He approached the large, soot black thoroughbred stallion and scratched it's forehead.

"Hey there Gunner. Miss me?"

"Tiff," Kautounie called, gaining the girl's attention, "you're riding with me. This here is Diesel. He's a good horse and has never let me down."

Tiff glanced up to the large, hoofed beast. It looked as though if the massive gray Percheron made one wrong step, it would crush her flat into the ground. But, apparently the Redsuns were actually serious about riding on these animals.

"Come on, Tiff. The best way to travel Horva is on horseback," Neo mentioned, "most of my kind could ride before we could walk."

She carefully lifted Kirby up onto the smallest of the steeds, a black mustang mare Neo called Tank. (Please don't ask). The little pink star warrior didn't seem to mind at all, in fact he looked quite comfortable. Neo jumped on behind him and took hold of the reins. She kept one arm around Kirby to hold him in place so he wouldn't fall off.

"It may not be like your Warp Star, Kirby, but I think you'll like the ride."

"Hey buddy, you're with me, so-" Geoffrey began, looking down to where Meta Knight had been previously.

Then he looked back to his horse, Gunner, only to find that Meta Knight was already on the creature's back.

"Damn, how does he do it?" the rogue grumbled, placing his foot in the stirrups and climbing on.

In a swift motion, Meta Knight had somehow managed to swing around behind Geoffrey, thous confusing the human further. Naturally, the girls had a good laugh, and the rest of the zwetoocks muttered amongst themselves. He could have sworn he head the comment, 'damn, he is very good', muttered in the zwetoock language.

"Forgive me if I don't feel comfortable having a... rogue at my back." Meta Knight gruffed, knowing it sounded much more polite then thief.

"Hmph, can't say that I blame ya. Just hold on... Gunner's a bit of a wild one." Geoffrey warned, patting his mount's neck.

Already the black horse was chomping at the bit and snorting restlessly.

Finally, Kautounie helped Tiff onto Diesel's back, then leaped on herself. With one last wave good bye, the group was off, galloping down the worn, well used forest path leading out of the Crimson woods. Tamoko closed her eyes.

"May Sundar be with you..." she said, quietly.

Next stop, the Free City of Thea'or!

 **Author's Notes::** The adventure on Dreamland is over, now it's time to travel the rough and wild planet, Horva! So, pretty much to sum things up, they're dumped out of the rift, confused and incapacitated, a small group of Redsun scouts find them and bring them to their own Kabu to recover. (It had been mentioned in the anime that there's more then one Kabu, and they're spread all over the galaxy, so I thought it fitting to have one in the Crimson Woods.) Anyway, Meta Knight is reunited with some old friends, who also happen to be Neo's and Kautounie's parents. They learn that despite the Star Rod being broken, they're not totally screwed, and there's a chance to put it back together, if they find all the pieces. Not a lot of action, but there's been so much, I was trying to make this chapter kind of a relaxing breather, don't worry, there's going to be more action coming up, trust me! Before leaving, Tamoko gives each of them a gift to help them on their journey...

Who is this... friend... of Geoffrey's... and can she be trusted? Guess what... I'm not telling! Ha... ha... ha...

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	11. A Thief in the Knight

In Your Nightmares, A Thief in the Knight

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Suggested use of Booze and 'Other' Things.

*Dreamland, Castle Prescott, Throne Room (Formally known as Castle Dedede)*

So the Halberd and it's meager crew had escaped. Big deal. The takeover of Dreamland virtually happened overnight. The once bright and colorful land was now turned gray and black with despair. Anyone who refused the new rule was either put in the dungeons or executed on the spot. Lord Nightmare now ruled Dreamland, with Riley at his side.

Instead of Waddle Dees, hell hounds, wolfwraths, Occultists of the Order of Holy Nightmare, and other various demons now roamed the castle halls. There had been one or two resistance attempts by the people of Dreamland, but they were either captured or killed without much problem.

"Don't fuss over it, geez. It's one battle ship that you've toasted before." Riley snorted to Nightmare, relaxing in Dedede's throne as she stroked Glasya's head, "Besides, didn't you already send some of your boys after the Halberd?"

"I haven't heard back from them in a while..." Nightmare hissed.

"Come on, whatever happened to the fun game we're playing?" Riley asked whimsically, taking a glass of wine off the floor beside her throne and taking a sip,"You've got part of the Star Rod, and I've got part of the Star Rod. We're gonna take a few losses, sure, but take a look around you! Pop Star is yours! One little ship ain't gonna save their asses! There's a few soldiers, a fat ex-king, a snail, and a bunch of untrained civilians. Chill, have a glass of wine, get a massage, read a book, whatever! Just enjoy this moment in victory!"

Nightmare's face twisted into a smile, then he shrank down and transformed into Gerard's form. He liked taking on the former assassin's guise. Riley smiled back, and raised her glass to him.

"Evil will always triumph, because good is dumb!"

*Horva, Road to Thea'or*

Meta Knight grunted audibly, hanging onto Geoffrey's coat for dear life. Naturally, this made the thief laugh. A tough and brave knight, with minimal experience in horsemanship. Meta Knight grumbled again as a stray tree branch scraped across his armor.

'If this is what they called "fun" and a "good way to travel", I didn't want to think about what a bad mode of transportation is on Horva.' Meta Knight thought to himself, ducking with Geoffrey to avoid a low hanging tree limb.

Unlike the silky smoothness of his beloved Halberd, Geoffrey's horse was quite rough, jolting from side to side, nearly making him fall off as they galloped down the dirt road through the forest.

"Don't you know how to... steer this thing?!" the disgruntled warrior demanded, just as Gunner leaped over a fallen log, followed closely by Neo and Kautounie and their passengers.

"Relax!" Geoffrey snorted, in a cocky tone, "Besides, here on Horva, every knight should have a good horse."

The keyword being... good. Meta Knight hadn't been around these animals very long, but something was telling him that Gunner wasn't completely tame.

Kautounie and Neo rode on either side of Geoffrey, Neo with Kirby and Kautounie with Tiff. While Kirby appeared to be enjoying the ride and having a great time, Tiff looked more like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming car.

"This is even safe?!" Tiff questioned, over the noise of Diesel's thundering hooves.

"Yup. Safe as a six pack at an A. A. meeting! Hahahaaaa!" Kautounie laughed, spurring her mount faster and ahead of Geoffrey and Neo.

However, as they left the Crimson Woods behind, both Tiff and Meta Knight began to feel more comfortable. The free flowing wind of the wild and overgrown planes felt good and the air was very clean. It was indeed a rugged and fierce world, but beautiful. For a while, the only noise was the pounding of hooves against hard dirt and snorting of the horses as they ran, kicking up a thick cloud of dust behind them.

"It's about half a day's ride to Thea'or, we should be there by late afternoon!" Kautounie called after a short while.

"Last one to the city gates cooks dinner tonight!" Neo challenged, whistling loudly to the small black mare she was riding.

Kirby smiled cheerfully and waved from Tank's back while he and Neo pulled ahead of the others.

"Oh, if you want a race, you've got one!" Kautounie growled, playfully, "Tiff, you might want to hold on tight! Diesel, lets go!"

"Hey, you girls get back here!" Geoffrey shouted. "I'm not losing an impromptu race to a chick! Not even my own sisters."

"I'm not about to loose to my own apprentice." Meta Knight muttered. "Spur it, Geoffrey!"

*The Free City of Thea'or*

Just as Kautounie had predicted, they arrived at Thea'or late that afternoon. There was quite a chill in the air and dark clouds were slowly moving in. The sun was just beginning to set as evening neared, illuminating the various buildings and structures. Thea'or was a small city, without much hills or climbing, and only some of the roads were paved. There was everything from a general store, armory, weapon smith, a few hotels, and even a boarding stable. Apparently, even with cars, airships, and other motorized transportation, horses were quite popular in Horva.

"We wont need to worry about wasting our cash on a hotel. I own a small garage here in town with a basement we can all crash in for the evening." Geoffrey stated, stopping his horse.

"You own a garage?" Tiff questioned, eyes widening.

"Well, it was my father's. Nice false front for what he really did." Geoffrey shrugged, "For what I do now... what can I say, I like to keep myself occupied."

They dismounted, for which Tiff and Meta Knight were quite happy to have their feet back on solid ground. Kirby on the other hand looked like he wanted to keep on riding.

"Don't worry Kirby, we wont be in the city long," Neo said, rubbing the top of his head while she held him.

"Just long enough to speak with Garna and find that Star Rod shard." Kautounie grunted.

Tiff nearly stumbled into Meta Knight, as her feet had become quite numb after riding for so long. Neo assured the two of them that they would get used to it after a while. Though she felt somewhat confused as to why Tiff and Meta Knight did not share her enthusiasm.

The Redsuns' companions received many strange and curious looks from the people, mostly humans, though there were a few zwetoocks, even other members of Kirby's and Meta Knight's race, (Batamons, was it?), and large, scaly lizardlike creatures. However a harsh growl from the sisters was enough to send any unwanted audience on their way.

"Why is everyone staring at us?" Tiff asked, inching closer to Meta Knight nervously.

"Now you know how we felt in Dreamland." Kautounie muttered.

After finding a reasonably priced boarding stable for the horses, Geoffrey led the way into the seedy and unsavory part of town. Unlike the brightness and bustle of the main part of Thea'or, this place was dark and decrepit, and with the sun sinking further in the sky and storm clouds moving in, it only made things creepier. Sinister even. The buildings looked old, with broken windows and doors hanging off their hinges, and some were condemned. There weren't much signs of people, or life of any sort, and it was deathly quiet. Kirby shivered slightly in Neo's arms, and Meta Knight placed his hand on Galaxia's hilt. A few of the streetlights flickered, one of them shorting out and causing a quick shower of sparks.

"Ah!" Tiff cried, ducking and covering her head.

"Welcome to the Thieves' District!" Geoffrey announced, proudly.

Meta Knight's eyes glowed green for a minute. But sadly, Geoffrey was serious. Tiff and Kirby were both nervous, but Neo and Kautounie assured them that they were safe as long as they stayed with them.

"I do not like this, Geoffrey..." Meta Knight growled, making his disapproval known.

"It's hard for a knight to like it here... but for me... it's like a breath of fresh air!" Geoffrey sighed, "Alrighty then, some basic guidelines! Anything of value, keep it close to you and don't advertise it! Whatever you do, do NOT stare at her scars... that means you, Meta Knight..."

"Excuse me?"

"... Never turn your back to her, and if you mention brussel sprouts... Sundar help you!" the rogue warned, ignoring Meta Knight's inquiry.

Okay... some strange rules, but they seemed simple enough. Tiff glanced to Kirby, then to Meta Knight. At least Kirby was safe from the last rule, considering he couldn't exactly speak. As they trekked further into the dark and grimy Thieves' District, Kirby instinctively reached out for Tiff and Meta Knight within Neo's firm but gentle grasp.

"Alright. But do NOT wonder off. If you don't know what you're doing, this place is dangerous, even for us..." Neo warned, setting the pink child down.

It wasn't that he didn't like Neo, far from it. But Kirby always felt more secure when he was close to Tiff and Meta Knight. Thankfully, the little warrior heeded the many warnings and did not stray. Far from it, he had ducked under Meta Knight's cape, causing his mentor to sigh audibly and Tiff to giggle at his cute antics. But at least they didn't need to worry about Kirby wondering off.

"That's so cute! They're a pack just like we are." Kautounie commented quietly to Geoffrey and Neo, hoping their companions couldn't hear her.

Before Geoffrey could answer, the sound of faint, but upbeat music reached his ears, as well as the chatting of several people. They were getting close. After leading the team down another alley, they found the source of the commotion, the one place that was actually relativity well lit. There was a line of people waiting to get inside, blocked off by a red velvet rope and two more of those lizard-like men. The sign above the door read "The Knight Club".

"Wow, she actually got this place back up and running," Geoffrey muttered to himself, "Well... here we are!" he alerted the others.

"In there?" Tiff asked, "the line is way to long, we don't have time for this!"

"That's why we go in the back door!" Geoffrey snorted, "Gotta think like a thief here..."

Meta Knight let out a low growl in warning and glared at the human. Geoffrey was a rotten influence.

Begging the old knight's forgiveness, Geoffrey continued into the shady alley behind the night club. Kautounie and Neo both made mental notes to themselves to come back when there was more time, it sounded like fun in there, and being royalty, even in a zwetoock pack, had it's perks. (Especially a Redsun, considering that the city itself was on Redsun lands!) And apparently Kirby was thinking the same thing as he looked out from under Meta Knight's cape, only to be pulled back to reality by his teacher gently nudging him forward.

Geoffrey pressed an unseen switch along the wall, revealing a hidden door. Once everyone was inside, the entryway sealed shut behind them, leaving the group in a dimly lit hallway that slanted downward. The muffled music from the club could still be heard and the scent of tobacco smoke and alcohol hung heavy in the air. Kirby coughed a few times, curling in closer to Meta Knight.

They came to a stop at a door that had a slat in it. Below the slat was a sigil of what looked somewhat like a gray colored Wolfwrath, thous making Meta Knight even more on edge. His eyes turned red as he gripped Galaxia's handle.

"Easy buddy. Geez..." Geoffrey sighed as he knocked.

He knew better then to pick the lock on this door, as Garna probably had about fifty one and a half traps armed on it. She was paranoid like that, and rightly so.

Quietly, Tiff took out the piece of the Star Rod she had been carrying and held it out. It glowed much brighter then before.

"Hey, I think that the other shard... is in there!" Tiff exclaimed.

"Tiff, put that away!" Neo warned, glancing around anxiously.

Remembering Geoffrey's prior warning, Tiff did as she was told. Suddenly, the slat in the door opened up, and a single bright blue eye was staring at them. It narrowed and a low growl could be heard. Then suddenly, the expression softened.

"Oh, Lieutenant Geoffrey Redsun!" the creature on the other side said, sounding quite happy.

"Lieutenant?!" Meta Knight questioned.

"Poyo? Le-teni?" Kirby asked, confused.

Now it was time.

"Yup, it's about time you all knew. I'm second in command of the Wolf Pack Thieves' Guild and the She-Wolf's, Garna Riverdale's, favorite Lieutenant." Geoffrey explained, "She would be my Guild Mistress"

"You're telling me this now!?" Meta Knight growled, his eyes flashing crimson for a moment.

"Well, I knew if I told you the whole story earlier, you would have pitched a fit." Geoffrey shrugged, "and please... don't freak when you see what's on the other side of the door..."

"Damn, they make a cute couple." Kautounie muttered.

"Shut up!" Geoffrey and Meta Knight snarled in unison.

Before Meta Knight could voice his displeasure further about walking right into a den of thieves and continue his argument, the door swung open. The veteran felt his heart skip a beat. There was a Wolfwrath, about three feet away, staring right at them. Unlike a normal one of it's kind, this one was bluish gray in color, and had blue eyes with a white gem in it's forehead. He was also considerably smaller.

"Meta Knight, I can-!" Geoffrey started, right before being tackled to the ground by the beast.

"Geoffrey!" Tiff screamed, fumbling for her wand.

Kirby and Meta Knight were both ready to attack, then they realized something. This Wolfwrath wasn't attacking Geoffrey, he was nuzzling and licking the human affectionately. But wait! This wasn't right! Demon beasts don't do that!

"Hey, Roaren!" Kautounie and Neo both squealed, rushing up to the creature and stroking his soft fur.

"I've missed you guys so much! It's good to see you all again!" the wolfwrath, apparently named Roaren, said, while his fluffy tail wagged quite happily.

Wait a sec, most demon beasts couldn't talk either. Just what was going on? Kirby gave a confused look to Meta Knight, then to Tiff. It certainly looked enough like a demon beast, but then why were they unable to sense it?

"Oof... alright Roaren, could you let me up now?" Geoffrey wheezed, giving the wolf-like monster a few pats.

With a small apology for his overzealous greeting, Roaren stepped off of the human. Geoffrey groaned as Roaren's thick claws pressed against his body, causing the wolfwrath to whine and lower his tail in shame.

"Sorry, Roaren. But recently I had a distant relative of yours on top of me, only he tried to turn me into a human Beggin' Strip... extra crispy, if you know what I mean..."

Roaren nodded in understanding. He knew what a normal member of his monster species was like and what they could do.

For the longest time, he was the only one of his kind Geoffrey and the girls knew about, up until a few days ago. Roaren was considerably friendlier than a regular wolfwrath, that was for sure.

Meta Knight still looked quite uneasy, and he only became more so when the creature's bright blue eyes locked with his. Then Roaren's tail began to wag happily again and his muzzle spread into a grin.

"Geoffrey, ladies... is... is that... Sir Meta Knight and Kirby of the Stars?!" Roaren asked with excitement.

Why did he bother asking if he already knew the answer? Before Geoffrey could say 'yes', Roaren was already greeting the Dreamlanders in an overly friendly fashion.

"Wow, the real Sir Meta Knight and Kirby! Garna and I are huge admirers! Pleased to meet you!" Roaren said, crouching down to the blue warrior's level, "But... I thought you'd be taller..."

Meta Knight seemed as though his tolerance was wearing thin, but Kirby seemed to accept Roaren once he realized he wasn't on the beast's menu. Thankfully, the younger Star Warrior's mentor loosened up when Kirby giggled cutely at the cold touch of Roaren's wet nose. He'd rather hear the child's cute laughter then cries of pain.

"Kirby of the Stars... I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be meeting you!"

Roaren closed his eyes as the young warrior stroked his fur, gently. But even Meta Knight had to admit, he would rather have this beast be over affectionate then trying to tear him apart.

"Ummm... good boy...?" Tiff said, still unsure.

Roaren gleefully butted his head under the girl's hand, groaning with pleasure as she scratched behind his ear.

"Oh yeah, that's the spot, don't stop!" Roaren sighed contently, causing Tiff to let out a small laugh.

"Roaren, this is Tiff, she's a friend of both Kirby and Sir Meta Knight. She also assisted Kirby in his battle against Nightmare." Kautounie introduced.

After becoming acquainted with everyone, Roaren welcomed the group into the suite. It was a mid-size room, about twenty feet across. Even in the dim lighting coming from the ornate lamps mounted on the walls, they could tell that no expense was spared with this abode. The furnishings looked luxurious and quite expensive. Along the walls were weaponry and armor on display, along with quite a few paintings and pictures featuring Roaren, a particular fur-covered gold dragon, (there was a lot of her, actually), Star Warriors, and the Galaxy Soldier Army. What quickly caught Meta Knight's eye was a painting of Sir Arthur, on the mantle above the fireplace. There was even a few of himself and Kirby, along with Garlude, Jecra, Sir Nonsurat, Sir Falspar, and Sir Dragato just to name a few. Apparently the Redsuns and Roaren weren't kidding when they told him that Garna was quite a fan. But amongst all the paintings and photographs of GSA members and Star Warriors, was a painting of none other then Nightmare himself. Upon closer inspection, one could see an assortment of knives and daggers sticking out of it, and many more knives and darts neatly organized on a shelf mounted beside it on the wall. Apparently, this was her recreational target practice.

"Make yourselves comfortable." Roaren said, "Garna will be here shortly."

Saying that, he yawned contently and curled up by the fireplace. Now, they waited. Tiff and Kirby decided to spend some time with Roaren, although Meta Knight kept a watchful eye on the two of them. (He couldn't help it, fatherly instincts). Though his eyes would often trail back to the painting of Sir Arthur. Just how would this Garna Riverdale know who he was? Meanwhile, Geoffrey, Neo, and Kautounie were enjoying a little game of dagger pinching, throwing knives and other sharp objects at the target, which in this case, was the likeness of Holy Nightmare.

"Hmmm," Meta Knight muttered to himself, "Maybe this Garna person wouldn't be too bad."

"Aha! Yeah!" Kautounie shouted, snapping Meta Knight from his thoughts, "In your face, Geoffrey!"

She sauntered to the pinching board, yanking the knives out of it to get ready for another round. With a snort, Geoffrey threw a dagger of his own, quite expertly, nailing the painting of Nightmare right in the neck. Kautounie's ears drooped slightly and with a whine, she turned away.

"Come on, Sir Meta Knight. You should try it, it's fun!" Geoffrey exclaimed.

Seeing that Roaren was about as much of a danger to Tiff and Kirby as a loaf of bread, Meta Knight sighed and got up from his seat. Knife throwing wasn't his forte', but what harm could it be to join in on the game? Tiff and Kirby didn't stop cuddling with Roaren, although they all shifted so they could watch the show better.

Meta Knight drew the dragon fang knife that Alpha Rhego had given to him and threw it with all his might. A direct hit, right in Nightmare's chest.

"Well, better then me." Neo admitted, somewhat shyly, glancing to all the daggers that had simply clattered to the floor from where she missed.

"See?" Geoffrey asked. "Feel better?"

"Strangely enough... I do." Meta Knight admitted, nodding, before retrieving his knife.

Once Meta Knight was out of the way, Geoffrey tossed another knife, this one a little off from where he was aiming. He groaned audibly, cocking his head to the side. Just a tad to high. Suddenly, out of no where, another dagger was flung across the room, landing it's mark right in Lord Nightmare's forehead. This caused everyone to turn and look into the shadows.

"You never could beat me, Geoffrey." snickered a childish, albeit, unstable sounding voice, followed by a hyena-like cackle.

A small child-like girl slid from the darkness, her fierce emerald colored eyes shining in the dim light around her. She couldn't have been much bigger then Tiff, and she was quite skinny, emaciated and lithe, with dark circles around her eyes. Her long black hair was rather messy and several scars covered her body. Some looked like battle scars, others, looked like they came from various tortures of sorts. She wore a black halter top and baggy black pants with many pockets. Around her neck was a spike dog collar and she had many silver piercings in her pointed ears. In her gauntlented hand she held a jewel encrusted knife.

Geoffrey only smiled and bowed politely, "Guild Mistress, Riverdale."

"Hello Geoffrey... ladies..." Garna said, placing the knife back in the sheath of her belt with a smile.

Neo and Kautounie both greeted Garna in their traditional fashion.

Then Garna's eyes slid over to Roaren and his new playmates. Next, it was Meta Knight's turn to meet her gaze.

"Oh guys, you shouldn't have! My birthday's not for a couple of months yet!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air.

The guild mistress strode across the room without making a sound, to where Roaren, Kirby, and Tiff were playing.

"Garna, we'd like you to meet Tiff, Sir Meta Knight, and his apprentice, Kirby of the Stars." Geoffrey introduced.

"No bull shit, this is the real deal?" Garna asked, quirking an eye brow.

A quick nod of the head was enough to satisfy the strange little assassin. Garna circled around Meta Knight once, catching a glint of gold and red from Galaxia, which he promptly hid from view with a flap of his cape.

"Hmmm, I thought you'd be taller, Sir Meta Knight." Garna muttered, quirking an eyebrow.

By now, Roaren had left the fireplace and hopped up onto the small but comfortable couch, settling next to his friend with his head in her lap. Kirby and Tiff joined Meta Knight and the Redsuns.

"It's an honor to have you here," Garna purred, her gaze fixing to Meta Knight, "I'm a huge supporter of the Galaxy Soldier Army... they just never knew it. Garna Riverdale, the She-Wolf. Thief Extraordinaire and Grandmother of Assassins, at your service."

At her claim, Tiff immediately spoke up, "So, Geoffrey said that you would know about anything shiny and powerful that just happened to come to this planet."

"Ummm, okay, I know those two are Star Warriors... but what are you exactly?" Garna asked, quizzically, "and why did he bring you here?"

"Her? Why, she's one of the ladies, of course." Geoffrey answered quickly, all the while giving Tiff a nod, "She's also a close personal friend of Kirby's and Sir Meta Knight's. I vouch for her."

Tiff was a smart girl, she knew better then to say anything to the contrary. Besides, Garna didn't look like the sort of person you wanted to mess around with. If she was to be one of Geoffrey's ladies, that was perfectly fine with her... for now anyways.

"Oh! Well that makes everything okay then!"

With a mischievous smile, Garna nodded in approval.

"Tiff..." Meta Knight nudged, growing slightly restless.

Kirby had a nervous look on his face, though at the same time, he also looked hopeful.

"Then would you know exactly where we can find something that looks like this?" Tiff asked, holding out her shard of the Star Rod for Garna to see.

Now Geoffrey kept a very careful eye on Garna... (a lot of good it would do). She could rob anyone blind and they wouldn't know until it was too late. Thankfully, the little rogue just giggled childishly with delight.

"Hey... I have one of those too!"

This caused everyone to stare at her in shock, everyone except for Roaren and Geoffrey, that is. Kirby cried out happily when the assassin fished out her own shard of the Star Rod from one of her many pockets. The girl artfully twirled it along the top of her fingers. Both shards glowed quite brightly.

"Garna... how did you...?" Kautounie asked, mouth hanging agape.

"Riley sent those things to her most feared generals or something along those lines," Geoffrey said, "That's what Kabu told us, anyway."

"Kabu was not wrong. You could say a little birdie told me about four shining objects hailing from Dreamland transported via teleportation to Riley's flunkies here on Horva," Garna explained, "Alas... one of said soldiers died in his sleep."

"Hmph, I wouldn't expect you to slit the bastard's throat while he was awake!" Geoffrey snorted.

This only caused Garna's smile to widen. How did he ever guess? Regardless, she glanced to her shard, then back to the others.

"Well then, you also know that Holy Nightmare has returned," Meta Knight sighed, "and that the shard you hold in your hand is part of Kirby's Star Rod, the only weapon that can harm the demon!"

Garna shrugged, "Sure I know. I've already started making withdrawals from my favorite bank. I can leave Riley alone now, I guess. For the time being."

"Garna, Riley's the reason Nightmare's back from the dead." Neo sighed.

"Oh. In that case, I'll drain the bitch dry as well!"

"Poyoooo, poyo... Medi Kni?" Kirby asked, looking longingly at the Star Rod piece Garna held in her hand.

The thief sighed. She loved this little trinket, even though she only had it for one or two days. But the look Kirby was giving her was making her heart melt. It reminded her of the look Roaren gave to her when he was a puppy, the look he still gave to her. Finally, she decided. May as well just enjoy the bank while it lasts.

"Alright. I'll have you know I make it a rule never to steal from Star Warriors," Garna admitted, handing the shard to Roaren, "I was just keeping it safe."

' _A likely_ story' Meta Knight thought inwardly to himself as the Wolfwrath leaped off the couch and set the shard down in Tiff's waiting hand, tail wagging. Once the two pieces met, they melded together, forming the first two points of a Star. Kirby's eyes twinkled happily as he began to feel the familiar strength return to him.

"Thank you, both of you." Tiff said, both herself and Kirby giving Roaren a scratch on the head.

"Now that wasn't such a chore now, was it?" Geoffrey asked.

Garna smiled, this one being much more sincere. She felt as though she had done the GSA and Star Warriors proud, just like old times. Meta Knight, although not approving fully of her methods, gave the thief a nod in thanks and Roaren a scratch behind the ear.

"You're welcome. But don't pop open the Champagne just yet," Garna warned, "I can tell you the next piece I know about wont be as easy for you."

"Bull shit, what's the job?" Neo asked.

"Well, you'd all have to be crazy to go where the next shard is located."

"Dare I ask?" Tiff muttered, feeling more and more uneasy as Garna's tone twisted into what could be described and delighted insanity.

"Try the Ravenwing Bog Lunatic Asylum!" Garna cackled.

Suddenly, the room went deathly quite, save for the audible 'gulp' coming from Geoffrey. Even Meta Knight forced himself to suppress his shudder.

"The GSA shut that place down during the wars!" Meta Knight exclaimed.

"Yup, I know. Trust me, I was an inmate there for three years!" Garna hissed, stroking the scars on her arm, "Where do you think I got most of these? Tiff, you're not staring are you?"

The thief's eyes narrowed at Tiff. Any luster of innocence was gone, and replaced with an icy stare that could have given Meta Knight a run for his money. Remembering Geoffrey's earlier warning, Tiff broke eye contact.

"But," Garna started again, as though she had already forgotten about Tiff's 'staring', "That's also where I met my hero, Sir Arthur. You see, the galaxy's biggest asshole, Nightmare, was running the place with the help of a Dr. Tragong Knarks. With Knarks' black magic and knowledge of science, the two of them were working to turn the dregs of society, people that no one would miss, into demon beasts. And it was working too, until the GSA found the joint and trashed it. Nightmare usurped Dr. Knarks, took all his funding, and split, leaving the deranged mental case with nothing. Then those awesome puffball knights found me, though I was already about half-way out of that place all by myself, with a little help from Roaren of course, he was just a pup then..." she trailed off and stared at the painting of the green knight in golden armor above the fireplace.

Okay... certainly eccentric, but oddly enough, it sounded like it could have been true.

"Of course I loved those guys, but I couldn't stay with them. I'm a thief and they're knights. Knights are chivalrous and honorable... that's a foreign concept to me. We wouldn't mix, so I left late one night," Garna explained, "but I never forgot about what they did for me. So, once my wounds healed and I could get back to work, I began targeting Nightmare Enterprises, siphoning their cash, keeping some for myself, of course, but I sent most of it to the Galaxy Soldier Army. And with that I vowed never to be taken captive again. While following the GSA's exploits I started to build a little empire of my own and here I am today as you see me!"

Now Meta Knight's eyes widened, turning bright green as he dug through his thoughts. Even as Tiff waved a hand in front of his face, he didn't budge. Meta Knight did recall times when Sir Arthur was baffled by the large sums of cash or weapon stashes that were anonymously left in his quarters, wherever he happened to be at the time. There was never a trace or evidence of anyone breaking in or being there, no note, nothing! It was just left there for him.

"That was you doing that?!" Meta Knight choked out.

"I take it you did get my care packages then?" the assassin giggled, feeling quite proud of herself.

Even the Redsuns looked surprised. They had always known Garna liked the GSA, but now they knew why. It was quite strange for a thief to feel such devotion towards knights, then again, Garna didn't strike anyone as being of sound mind either.

"Ravenwing Bog is about four days ride north of here. I'd say we take it!" Neo said.

"We should have no problem!" Kautounie sighed, reaching for the shotgun on her back.

"Don't speak too soon, Kautounie... as of late, there's been activity siring about the Ravenwing Bog. Apparently Riley's fierce general wasn't as fierce as she thought," Garna warned, in a harsh whisper, "He disappeared shortly after that pretty little trinket fell into his hand. Some say that Dr. Knarks still lurks within the abandoned asylum, continuing his work and plotting revenge against the demon that used and betrayed him!"

"Nightmare..." Tiff said, quietly.

"No... the Stay Puffed Marshmallow Man..." Garna whispered, delighting in the odd looks she received from the others, "Of course it was Nightmare!"

Kirby shuddered, inching closer to Tiff, relaxing as she wrapped an arm around him.

"That's just a rumor I heard, anyway!" Garna piped up, quite cheerfully, "One can't believe everything they hear on the streets, but it's good to keep an open mind."

Well, at least it was somewhere to start. Two shards down, five more to go. It was getting quite late, and Tiff and Kirby both yawned sleepily.

"Thank you for your help, Guild Mistress." Geoffrey said, standing up from his chair.

"Anytime," Garna smirked, "but there is just one little thing you can do for me... Sir Meta Knight..."

The blue warrior found his golden gaze turning to the thief, "yes?"

"Can I see her?" she asked. "Galaxia I mean?"

Now Roaren suddenly jerked awake, as he had previously fallen asleep with his head in Garna's lap. He and Garna both eyed Meta Knight hopefully, giving him their best puppy dog eyes.

'Well', Meta Knight thought, 'a small price to pay', considering what the thief had just done for them. With a flourish, he threw back his cape and drew his sword, making sure they got a very good look at the spectacular golden blade.

"It's real!" Roaren gasped.

"Of course Galaxia's real! I've seen her before... from a distance usually. But I've always wanted to see her up close." Garna stated.

They waited patiently for Garna and Roaren to get their fill of the Galaxia Sword before bidding the thief and her wolfwrath a good night. Roaren whined softly in disappointment once Meta Knight put Galaxia away, but his tail was wagging happily again as Garna scratched him behind the ears. Everyone got what they wanted that night. Kirby and his team got another piece of the Star Rod and information about where to go next, and Garna got to meet her heroes face to face.

"Well, that went better then I planned." Geoffrey sighed, once they were outside.

"Did you even have a plan?" Neo asked.

"No, not really..."

Kautounie and Neo giggled while Meta Knight's eyes turned pink for a moment. Tiff and Kirby meanwhile, gazed at the partial Warp Star before carefully storing it away. Certainly, it had been a long night, but a good one. Leaving the Knight Club and Wolf Pack Thieves' Guild behind them, the Redsuns lead the way to a less shady part of town. Geoffrey motioned to a small auto garage on the corner of the street. He typed in some numbers on the keypad at the front door impossibly fast. The metal door slid open and let everyone inside.

The first thing to hit them was the smell of oil and auto parts. (Duh, they're in a garage!) There were a few bulges under some tarps, and a long counter against the far wall, lined with all sorts of various tools and mechanical parts.

"Geoffrey's quite the mechanician." Kautounie praised, "I don't know how he figures all these gizmos and working parts out!"

"Well, I have about as much magical prowess as a carrot, so I turn to technology." Geoffrey shrugged.

Tiff found herself trying to keep Kirby out of Geoffrey's stuff, most notably the headset the pink puffball had taken a liking too. Neo smiled softly. Tiff looked out for Kirby the same way Kautounie looked out for her. But the girl knew Neo wouldn't be smiling for long if the young Star Warrior decided to inhale the headset. She shuddered at the thought.

Geoffrey led the team through his office, which was what one might call an organized mess, and down the stairs to his basement. It appeared to be a one room apartment. There was a kitchen, a lounge with miss-matched furnishings but a rather nice looking TV set, and one bed in the far corner. Against the north wall, near the lounge was a desk, covered in maps, charts, papers, and a closed laptop computer. Above said desk was a "motivational poster" reading "The Pen is Mightier then the Sword, that's why I Carry a Gun!" It was a little cold and empty, but that's just how Geoffrey liked it. The one thing that seemed a little odd was the single bookshelf against the west wall, all by itself.

"Our home away from home." Kautounie and Neo said, happily.

While their guests settled in, Geoffrey began making everyone a late night dinner, considering it had been a while since the last time they had eaten. (And he had in fact lost an impromptu race to a chick.) He could have sworn he heard Meta Knight snickering at him from behind, but one could never be to sure with the elder Star Warrior.

About halfway through, Kirby wondered away from Meta Knight and Tiff to "help" Geoffrey and the girls in the kitchen. Help, in this case, meaning looking absolutely adorable and sampling the food, before and after it was cooked, if need be.

"Wonder what would happen if you feed him a frying pan?" Neo questioned as she pulled some steaks out of the fridge.

"He would become Cook Kirby..." Meta Knight informed, overhearing Neo thinking out loud to herself.

Cook Kirby? And to think she was just joking around.

"Wow, he's just got a form for everything..." Geoffrey muttered, throwing the now seasoned steaks on the grill pan.

"Poyo, poyo!" Kirby chirped, cheerfully.

"With Sundar as my witness, you will learn to speak." Geoffrey exclaimed, pointing at the playful star warrior with a pair of tongs he was holding in his hand at the time.

That last statement from the rogue actually caused Meta Knight to let out a laugh as his eyes glowed pink, thus earning a "who are you and what have you done with Meta Knight" look from Tiff. Quickly, the blue puffball returned to his usual stoic demeanor, thankful no one could see him blushing under his mask.

Curious about Meta Knight's claim, Neo handed Kirby a frying pan, watching with excitement as the puffball inhaled the object and transformed, donning a chef's hat. Apparently Meta Knight was right. With the assistance of Cook Kirby, dinner was ready in no time. Tiff decided to help too, taking out plates and silverware, though the rogue did lack a dining room table, which meant stand up eating at the counter or parking yourself in the lounge. Jokingly, he claimed he hadn't been able to find one nice enough to steal.

Then what Neo and Kautounie were trying to bring out to have with their steak brought knots to his stomach.

"Girls, no! We have guests from off planet. Put those back!" Geoffrey ordered.

"Exactly! Goblin Entrails are a zwetoock delicacy!" Kautounie pouted, "Good warmed or cold! We've been saving these for when guests arrive. Come on, dear brother."

"Eh... what?!" Tiff asked.

"You hear nothing, and you know nothing..." Geoffrey sputtered quickly, doing his best to hide the less then appealing goblin organs from view.

They may have been a tasty treat for zwetoocks, but the last thing he needed was for the Dreamlanders to become sick right before a long trek the next day. With a sigh, the two zwetoocks put their 'delicacy' away. Kirby managed to snatch a quick peak and stuck out his tongue, revolted.

The Redsuns believed in casual dining. Very casual. Neo and Kautounie both sat on the kitchen counter tops with Kirby. Geoffrey, who had taken off his coat and removed all but one of his guns, joined Tiff and Meta Knight in the lounge. It was an unusual sight, considering he hadn't taken off his leather duster in front of them before. On the bare skin of his arms were several scars and a multitude of tribal tattoos. The T-shirt he was wearing simply read "You can't fix Stupid."

"Hey, can I offer anyone a drink? Tea, soda, something a little stronger? Configured convenience all in the same cup?" the rogue offered, earning some loud and rather obnoxious laughs from the zwetoocks.

Not knowing any better, Kirby joined in.

After their hearty late night supper, Kirby had nearly fallen asleep in Kautounie's lap. Neo and her sister both began laughing again, much more softly this time, though Meta Knight was guessing that it wasn't just cola that was in their cups.

"Okay, we've got to kick some ass tomorrow... so I think it's... 'hic', time for bed..." Kautounie said, her voice slurring just slightly.

"Kautounie... what did... you put in my soda?" Neo giggled.

Yup, more then cola, that's for damn sure!

Geoffrey helped the two sisters off their perch on the counters and to the sofa in the lounge. Thankfully, they were very compliant.

"Okay ladies, sleep it off!"

"Hey, hey, I'm not as think as you drunk I am!" Kautounie claimed, right before she and her sister began snoring gently.

Tiff helped Geoffrey cover the two tipsy mages with a blanket. Now it was time to get Kirby to bed. Meta Knight had already scooped up his apprentice off the counter and carried him to the bed.

"I like the wall right over here. You go on ahead..." Geoffrey said, waving his hand in a whimsy.

Once Kirby's head hit the soft pillows he was out like a light. Tiff wasn't too far behind. Meta Knight sat down on the bedside, patting the little pink puff on the head gently. Tamoko's words from earlier that day flowed through his mind once again. He was Kirby's teacher, yes. His guardian, yes. At times, his rival. But father? That sounded strange to him. Shaking his head, he put the thoughts to the back of his mind. When he went to get up, he found himself unable to, as while lost in thought, Kirby had already tangled himself up in Meta Knight's cape, using it as an extra blanket. The knight sighed audibly. He would get no help from Tiff, as she was already asleep, and forget the about the zwetoocks. They'd be less help then Tiff at this point.

"Looks like you're stuck there for the night." Geoffrey pointed out, handing Meta Knight an extra blanket, "Might as well make yourself comfortable."

With that, the human leaned against the wall, arms crossed and eyes closed, bidding Meta Knight a good night. Meta Knight glanced back to Kirby and Tiff, both of whom looked quite content in their sleep. Especially Kirby. And he should be. He had one more piece of the Star Rod, a plan to get the next one, and Meta Knight's cape! Yup, a good night indeed. Meta Knight hated admitting this, but Geoffrey was right, may as well just get comfortable.

 **Author's Notes::** Okay, the gist of part one, we learn that the Halberd escaped but at the moment, Pop Star is screwed, Meta Knight isn't exactly a horseman, and not all demon beasts are evil. Though Roaren could hardly be called a demon anything. He is a bit of a ravenous fanboy, but as dangerous as a loaf of bread. Anyway, I thought Garna using a painting of Nightmare as her dagger pinching board was just priceless. Anyway, there are Star Rod pieces to find, mysteries to uncover, and asses to take and names to kick!

We have also learned about Geoffrey's somewhat insane boss and why she adores the Star Warriors so much. Lucky she's a very big fan, Garna doesn't like giving up shiny trinkets. Easy piece this time, but the next ones wont be nearly as simple, I can tell you that right now. Dr. Knarks is no cream puff! (No disrespect intended to any Batamons out there.) And we also have a late night dinner with the Redsuns and rest before heading out for Ravenwing Bog. Cook Kirby makes a cameo and there's some more cuddling and silliness. Don't worry, there will be fighting coming up.

BTW, in case you didn't notice, Garna is a LOT older then she appears.

Bonus: Anyone who finds the Spaceballs reference shall receive... nothing, but it still might be fun to find it!

Am I the only one who really wants to see a "We Break for Nobody" oversize bumper sticker on the Halberd

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	12. The Road to Ravenwing Bog

**Author's Notes::** _Before we begin, I'd like to give a shoutout to_ **AquaK15** _for giving me my first review here on FanFic, it really, REALLY means a lot to me. And to answer your question, I wouldn't be going through the trouble of re-reading/editing/cleaning up this particular story and posting it if I intended to abandon it. I just needed to take a break. Currently, I've been working on another story that features the same OCs called "Dream Weavers", which delves into the wonderful worlds of Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th. Long and short of it, no, I am NOT quitting. Again, thanks for the review. Reviews, comments, faves, and follows make me happy!_

 _On a side note, anyone interested in Dream Weavers can check it out on my DeviantArt. It will be posted here eventually too._

In You're Nightmares, The Road to Ravenwing Bog

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Snow... lots of snow.

'Another piece down, five more to go! Garna Riverdale isn't such a bad person, even if her methods are less then honorable. Which is strange, considering how much she loves and admires the Star Warriors. I guess there's just a madness to her methods! Regardless, it's good to see Kirby smile again.'

The Thoughts of Tiff Ebrum

'Awww damn it! I only just now realized that the ladies and I left all our adventuring gear and some extra guns on board the Halberd! Hopefully Sword and Blade will find them before anyone else does. I shudder to think what would happen if King Dedede got his mitts on all that heat. Damn that bitch, Riley! Oh well, luckily I have my spares...'

The Thoughts of Geoffrey 'Redsun' Collins

'I think this journey will do Kirby some good. It's been a week or more since I last put Kirby through any training exorcizes, but we'll have plenty of time while we go to this Ravenwing Bog. We must make up for lost time. He may not like it, he may even hate me for it, but it will be for his own good. If this Dr. Knarks used to work with Holy Nightmare, who knows what he is capable of, and my apprentice must be prepared!'

The Thoughts of Sir Meta Knight

*Somewhere in Space, Halberd, random cabin*

There wasn't much they could do. They felt lost without their leader, though the two young knights did the best they could in his absence. As soon as the Halberd's crew managed to pick up what was left of the Cappy Town survivors, they had no choice but to take off into Space. Well, they had a choice. Take off while they could, or fall into Holy Nightmare's grasp and become his slaves... or dead, the later of which was more likely, considering he had already sent some Destroyers after them. Luckily, the Halberd made short work of them.

Sword and Blade had been checking in on all the rooms, making sure their passengers were okay. It was only a matter of time before they went completely nuts, as King Dedede insisted that he was in control, even though he wasn't king of anything any more, not that he was really king in the first place. (Hmph, good luck letting him know that!) But anyway, the two knights stumbled upon the Redsuns' gear that had been left on board. Curious, Sword took a quick look inside.

It was what one could call a small arsenal. Some hand guns, a sniper rifle, grenades, loaded gun magazines, ammo of different sorts, and various combat knives. The other packs included standard adventuring equipment, rope, flint and steel, trail rations, flashlights, a lantern, and so on. But Sword's and Blade's attention was quickly brought back to the guns.

"Do you think the Redsuns would mind if we borrowed their stuff while were stuck out here?" Sword asked.

Blade only shrugged. Quickly, they closed up the bags and headed towards the Caption's cabin with their find. The last thing they needed was for King Dedede or even Tuff, (the little scamp), to find this explosive loot.

*Holy Nightmare's Game Board*

With an annoyed groan, Nightmare flicked a few unusable pieces off the massive chessboard. _'Well, so much for that!'_ he thought to himself, gazing after the discarded Destroyer figures as they were sucked into the void of space. But, he kept his head cool. He was still ahead in the game. Pop Star was completely his, and he kept his shard of the Star Rod on him at all times, keeping it safe from anyone that would dare use it against him.

Then something caught his attention, two new pieces had appeared on the game board. One, a little girl with wild black hair and spike dog collar around her neck, riding on the back of a small, dis-colored Wolfwrath, armed with a crowbar on the Star Warrior's side. Nightmare's eyes visibly twitched. Now he knew where his loot has been going for the last few days.

"Not... you!" he hissed, quivering beneath his cloak and armor.

Off to the side, undecided as to where he stood, was a figure of a draconian-like creature, with wings and tail, wearing a tattered lab coat and gas mask. On his shoulder was a large, ugly rat.

"You too, Dr. Knarks? Well, I'll just have to see where you stand. This could be interesting..."

*Horva, Geoffrey's Basement*

Meta Knight awoke to find that Geoffrey was already up, along with Neo and Kautounie. Thankfully the sisters hadn't drank too much last night, as they didn't appear hung over in any way. The elder warrior pried his cape out of the still sleeping Kirby's hands and jumped off the bed without making a sound. Although he knew Kirby loved it, he would need to stop doing that. It may be coldhearted, but it was for the best. Inwardly, Meta Knight reminded himself that he was Kirby's teacher, first and foremost.

"Hey, it's awake!" Geoffrey announced, holding out his arms in welcome.

Meta Knight just snorted, smoothing out the wrinkles in his cape.

"Top of the morning to you too." Neo shrugged, sarcastically.

Once Tiff and Kirby were up, Geoffrey immediately got down to business. After all, one does not go out adventuring without the proper provisions... if they want to live, anyway. The rogue and the sisters had already prepared breakfast, which was waiting for the three Dreamlanders.

"Better eat fast, because we're moving out! Sun's just coming up and there's a fresh coating of snow on the ground!" Kautounie informed, "I love going out in the snow."

Great, snow. Just what they needed. Back in Dreamland, at least in the tropical climate they inhabited, snow was only the byproduct of one of Dedede's monsters or a tribe of invading, not to mention, angry, penguins. Tiff shivered slightly while Kirby gazed up the basement stairs. Meta Knight however, saw this as a great opportunity to teach Kirby and perhaps even Tiff how to fight in less than ideal conditions. Once they were finished eating, Geoffrey pushed the lone bookshelf aside, revealing a thick metal door with several keypads and a hand print scanner.

"I knew that seemed out of place!" Tiff commented.

Geoffrey only smirked. Yeah, he knew. Moving incredibly fast, the rogue punched in the different codes and scanned his hand. With a hiss, the heavy door slid open.

"Yes, I love shopping!" Kautounie cheered, as Geoffrey welcomed everyone inside, ladies first of course.

It was a treasure trove of weapons. Swords, knives, axes, maces, pole arms, crossbows and bows, both modern and medieval, various types of body armor, and guns... lots of guns, and ammunition too. In the far right corner, there was what appeared to be gun manufacturing equipment. There was also standard adventuring gear, including but not limited to, trail rations, winter clothing, canteens, rope, flashlights, lanterns, and some electronic devices. There also appeared to be a large sum of cash, of various currencies from all over different galaxies.

"Alrighty, welcome to my rec room! Take your pick! But remember, never take more then you and your horse can carry!" Geoffrey announced.

Immediately, the sisters jumped right in, picking up extra shotgun shells, bunches of arrows, and spare knives. Though Kirby, Tiff, and Meta Knight were still taking a cautious look around.

"A little much, don't you think, Geoffrey?" Meta Knight asked.

"This coming from the guy that built an entire warship in his boss' basement... twice?" the rogue retorted, taking a large handgun off of it's display rack.

"Okay, you got me there..." Meta Knight sighed, turning his gaze downward.

He was trying hard not to think to much about the Halberd.

"Here, Sir Meta Knight," Geoffrey called, interrupting the knight from his thoughts, "this will make you feel real good, like Dirty Hairy!"

The rogue offered Meta Knight a 44 Magnum revolver. A spectacular weapon that kicks like a mule! One of Earth's finest designs in Geoffrey's humble opinion. Politely however, Meta Knight declined, stating that Galaxia and his dragon fang knife would do him just fine.

"Suit yourself," the gun-happy thief shrugged, handing the hand cannon to Neo, who seemed more then eager to give the weapon a home.

Tiff found herself taking a few hand grenades, they might be useful in case they needed Bomb Kirby at some point. She had also taken a winter coat she had found, as the Redsuns had warned them about the snow on the ground. The girl also settled on a small but easily concealed single edged knife, just in case she didn't have Wicked available to her.

Kirby eyed an assortment of combat knives. Sure, they were smaller then swords, but better then your bare fists. He may have had Winterclaw now, but it wouldn't hurt to have another backup weapon. With a cheerful chirp, he took a sharp, curved dagger and stored it inside his black-hole of a stomach.

"Good call..." Geoffrey complemented as he finished making his selections and putting on what appeared to be a padded vest of sorts.

Kautounie finished packing the rest of their gear, carefully arranging it into backpacks and saddlebags. She and Neo both donned winter cloaks, Neo's dark forest green and Kautounie's coal black. Once everyone was set, Geoffrey grabbed his leather coat off the hook on the wall, locked up and they were off. A light snow was still falling outside as the Redsuns collected their horses before leaving the city, though the sun was starting to break through the clouds.

Once again, Kirby rode with Neo on Tank, Tiff and Kautounie rode Diesel, and Geoffrey and Meta Knight were mounted on Gunner. Near the city gates, a red puffball, not unlike Meta Knight and Kirby, wearing gold armor with black accents and cape eyed them carefully. However, before anyone could say anything, he was gone.

"Sir Meta Knight, I didn't know you had a twin..." Geoffrey muttered, rolling his eyes.

"I don't!" Meta Knight growled, taking another look around the city.

"Poyo... N- Neo... Ti...?" Kirby asked, looking up to the young zwetoock.

Hey, at least he finally managed to say a full name! It was progress. They passed through the gates and to the plains outside, then galloped down the snow covered road, heading north. It wasn't quite as pleasant as yesterday's ride, as not only was there the jarring of the horses' natural movements, but the bitter cold wind whipped painfully in their faces. Despite some minor protests from Tiff, the Redsuns did not stop until early that evening.

It was a small field with a couple snow covered trees along the edge. There was a rock formation, that looked somewhat out of place, but once the snow was brushed off, courtesy of a quick Wind spell from Kautounie, it made a nice makeshift shelter to spend the night.

The horses were all breathing heavily from a hard day's gallop and were grateful to stop. While Neo and Kautounie helped their passengers down, Meta Knight had already leaped off Gunner's back before Geoffrey could even dismount. He wasted no time. As soon as Kirby's feet touched the snow covered ground, Meta Knight collected him for sword practice.

"Medi Kni, Poyo?" Kirby asked, noticing the change in posture of his teacher.

"You have not trained for a while, though I understand it was not by your choosing," Meta Knight explained, "or mine. But I must make sure your skills are sharp as ever!"

What he wasn't telling Kirby was just how brutal these lessons were going to get. Abusive was a word that could describe them. It was a good thing there were two healers nearby. The snow covered ground was slick and made movement difficult and the chilly wind could sting almost as bad as a strike from a blade. Without much warning, Meta Knight drew the Galaxia Sword instead of throwing a sword to Kirby. But wait! Kirby had Winterclaw now. He spit up the ice blade into his small pink hands and took a battle stance.

"I hope your pink flesh isn't going soft," Meta Knight growled, "come on and fight me! Show me what you can do with Winterclaw!"

Geoffrey and Kautounie began to set up camp and take care of their mounts. When Neo had finished with Tank, making sure the small mare was as comfortable as she could be, she took Tiff aside to train her on how to use Wicked.

"I must say, you did pretty well with my lightning whip," Neo complemented.

"Thanks. That was my first time using a whip, actually." Tiff admitted, holding her coat around her body tighter.

"But wouldn't you like to be great?" Neo asked, "Swords and guns are common but obviously effective weapons. Whips are overlooked, and can be just as dangerous if not more so then the sword in the hands of a master. Now, I'm not a master, yet, but, I can still teach you some basic techniques. Later on, perhaps you could learn the art of the Blade Dance, using sword or whip while casting your spells."

Now Tiff was intrigued. She was always up to learning new things. Although what she didn't know was that Neo was trying to keep her away from Meta Knight's and Kirby's training. So the zwetoock cub drew her wand and cast off her cloak before leading Tiff to the other side of the field, though still within sight of Geoffrey and Kautounie. Both mages summoned their respective whips from their wands and began.

*Kirby and Meta Knight*

The two Star Warriors clashed blades, frost flying from Winterclaw, and sparks from Galaxia. Meta Knight worked his apprentice hard, dealing several unforgiving blows, leaving the smaller pink puffball with several cuts and bruises. The icy weather was taking it's toll on both fighters, though Winterclaw seemed to let Kirby move more easily through the snow. However, Meta Knight had begun using his special attacks during their duels, such as Mach Tornado and Dimensional Cape. He had even gone as far as to leaping into the air and spinning through the air like a drill, sending Kirby tumbling across the frozen turf with a pained cry, leaving a trail of crimson against the white ground.

"Go on, get up!" Meta Knight commanded. "Get up and fight! Show me your worthy to have that blade!"

Now he was attacking Kirby's pride. The smaller warrior could feel Winterclaw pulsing in his hands as the blade touched the blood covered snow. Icicles formed along the blade's sharp edge, like a serrated knife. With a growl, (okay, more like a squeak, but give the kid credit for trying), Kirby lunged at his master and struck an unarmored portion of his body, breaking off a few of the icicles and leaving them in Meta Knight's side. Grunting, the older warrior swung around behind Kirby and backhanded him face first into the snow.

"Nice try, but you left yourself open." Meta Knight grunted, plucking the ice from his wounds, "Again! I want you to fight until your heart gives out!"

Panting heavily, the smaller Star Warrior staggered to his feet. He felt dizzy and the cold stung his skin and eyes, but he refused to disappoint his teacher. Kirby turned around, this time holding both his machete and the dagger he had borrowed from Geoffrey's weapon stash.

"Poyo! Medi kni! Poy!" Kirby challenged, narrowing his sparkling blue eyes.

Meta Knight smirked under has mask, his eyes glowing blue for a moment. That's what he wanted to see! Kirby may have been a youngster, but he had fighting spirit. Sometimes it just took some coaxing to bring it out. With a swift motion, Meta Knight drew his own dagger, and now both warriors wielded two blades. Kirby quickly learned that two weapons at once had it's advantages and disadvantages. For instance, two blades meant you could use one to block and the other to attack, but it also meant you didn't have a hand free to grapple with. Meta Knight was quite comfortable wielding duel weapons, and he wasn't going easy on his apprentice. If anything, he only became more brutal. The enemy would show Kirby no mercy, and he couldn't afford to either. Although Meta Knight bore some new cuts, Kirby was much more heavily wounded.

Finally, once Kirby felt like his heart and lungs were going to burst, he gathered the last of his strength in one concentrated attack and let loose massive duel sword beams, the one from the knife being slightly smaller then the one from Winterclaw, cleaving two great trenches in the ground. Meta Knight answered back with two sword beams of his own. Kirby rolled out of the way of one of the attacks, but couldn't remember a thing once the other one had struck, leaving everything black.

*Tiff and Neo*

Meanwhile, while Meta Knight and Kirby were having their training fight, a crack of thunder whipped through the air and Neo demonstrated a basic whiplash attack to Tiff. Wicked in hand, Tiff mimicked the move with her acidic whip. The acid bubbled and fizzled as it struck the snow, causing it to rapidly melt.

"Once you've become more attuned to your wand, it will obey not just your movements, but your very thoughts. As wizards, our minds are our most powerful weapons!" Neo mentioned, earning a nod from Tiff.

Tiff and Neo both practiced, knocking off smaller rocks that had been carefully perched atop a much bigger rock with cracks of their whips. All the while the zwetoock was explaining about how to disarm opponents, entangle them, and even demonstrated a Blade Dance technique, coiling the rock in her electric whip, and then blowing a good chunk of it up with a Fire spell.

Tiff's eyes narrowed. If this furball that was younger then her could do that, why couldn't she? Fire was one of the spells Kautounie had given to her. Neo stepped back and welcomed the aspiring magician to give it a try. With a battle cry, the girl wrapped Wicked around the rock, letting the acid fizzle and bubble into the stone, before finishing it off with Fire, just as Neo had done. In a flash of green and orange flame, the rock was disintegrated, leaving bits of charred rubble against the white snow.

Neo jumped back a bit, amber eyes wide, "Have you ever cast Fire before?"

"First time..." Tiff admitted, recoiling her acid whip.

Well, when some people have a knack for something, they've got it. Tiff did have a fiery temper, and it must have flowed through the arcane energy that surrounded her.

"Well done, now then maybe we should-" Neo was cut off by the sound of two massive sword beams cutting through the ground, along with Geoffrey shouting obscenities.

The two girls stared in silence for a moment, and cautiously made their way back to the rock where Geoffrey and Kautounie were perched.

*Later that evening*

Kirby awoke, confused by his new surroundings. When did it become dark so fast? The last thing he remembered was Meta Knight's duel sword beams coming crashing down upon him, then everything went black. Speaking of hid mentor, where was he? Didn't they have a fight to finish?

Kirby was lying next to a camp fire on a woolen blanket with Tiff by his side, curing the last of his injuries. The young girl didn't look to happy, and she shot Meta Knight a dirty look as Neo tended to his wounds. Kirby groaned as he rolled onto his side and tried to get to his feet, only to have Tiff push him back down.

"No, Kirby, you're staying right where you are! Meta Knight was way to hard on you again." she sighed.

Meta Knight grumbled inwardly to himself. Tiff just didn't understand. In pushing Kirby past his limits, he got his apprentice to create two sword beams. His apprentice had never done duel sword beams until now. Meta Knight hadn't said anything as of yet, but he was quite proud of Kirby, even if he did black out. At least he battled until he could no longer stand, like a true warrior.

"Tiff, I told you before that Meta Knight trains Kirby so hard because he loves him." Kautounie mentioned quietly, placing a calming hand on the agitated girl's shoulder.

"But he knocked Kirby out cold this time!" Tiff argued.

"Though I admit, knocking him out was a bit on the rough side..."

"A bit on the rough side?!"

"Don't worry, I'll have both of them good as new by the end of this evening." Neo piped in, placing her hand on Meta Knight's side and healing the injuries caused by Winterclaw's icicles.

"You did well this evening, Kirby," Meta Knight said, still holding his side, even after Neo had healed it, "You've earned a good night's rest."

The rest of the evening was uneventful. True to her word, Neo had both Kirby and Meta Knight well enough to travel, though she had to make a mental note to herself not to use up too much of her own stamina, just in case Meta Knight and Kirby trained that hard again.

After eating a comforting hot meal Geoffrey had prepared, the group set up watches and rested for the evening. The next morning, they were off, stopping only to let their horses rest. It was dark and cloudy and snow began to fall much more heavily. Tiff would hold out the shard of the Star Rod, letting it guide them like a compass. The closer the riders got to the bog, the brighter it shone, indicating that they were heading in the right direction.

Another night spent in the cold, this time, without a natural shelter. Once again, as soon as Meta Knight and Kirby were off the horses, it was back to practice. Kirby had done well the last time, but his mentor continued to push him. After all, every hurt was a lesson learned, and his apprentice could only become stronger. Neo had even encouraged Tiff to train with the two Star Warriors that evening. Day two was uneventful, with no signs of other travelers or any life in general for that matter, which was beginning to worry Neo, Tiff, and Geoffrey.

On day three, the travelers found themselves in a thickly wooded forest. Since most of the snow was caught by the towering trees up above, there wasn't nearly as much to trek through below. For the time being, Neo, Kautounie, and Geoffrey walked, opting to lead their horses while still letting the Dreamlanders ride, considering they were not to much of a burden on the animals. Tiff was reading through her spell book, memorizing different incantations and methods of casting. Kirby, who was now riding on Gunner with Meta Knight, leaned into his mentor and took a nap.

"Enjoy the nap while you can, young one. As soon as we stop for the night, we're training again." Meta Knight warned, wrapping an arm around Kirby so he wouldn't fall off Gunner's back.

Geoffrey smirked at the two warriors, giving his horse a grateful pat. Gunner only snorted in response. Neo glanced up to the treetops, where a small flock of crows were resting. Finally, some wildlife. But just as soon as she had seen them, something spooked the birds, sending them off into the sky in a frenzy. Suddenly, Neo and Kautounie froze in their tracks, sniffing the air.

"What is it?" Tiff asked.

"We're being watched!" Kautounie growled, her ears flattening against her skull.

Diesel snorted and grunted angrily, stomping his large, sharp hooves into the snowy ground. Tank and Gunner also reacted, the later of the two giving Kirby a rude awakening. Knowing better then to ignore his faithful steed's uneasiness and Kautounie's warning, Geoffrey whipped out his usual large handgun. Meta Knight, having also sensed the danger, slid from Gunner's back and drew Galaxia.

Indeed, the travelers were being watched. A simple snap of a branch caused everyone to look in the same direction as the noise came from. Tiff jumped off Diesel's back, putting her spell book away and taking out Wicked. But, despite all their precautions, nothing happened. It was getting dark out and night was beginning to fall. Already the stench of the bog could be smelt, which meant they were getting close to their destination.

"We cannot linger here." Geoffrey warned, in a harsh whisper.

Now Kirby could sense it. Against the darkening sky, this forest seemed scarier then Whispy Woods. He could have sworn he had seen many pairs of glowing eyes, staring at them from the shadows, unblinking. Putting on a brave face, Kirby jumped off Gunner and triggered his Sword ability, donning his green cap, wielding Winterclaw. Looks like it wouldn't be a training battle tonight. Nope, this was going to be the real deal.

"TAKE THEM!"

Suddenly, the Redsuns and the Dreamlanders found themselves surrounded as a pack of brigands leaped out of the woods. There were various races, including two of those lizardmen creatures that had been seen back in Thea'or, a human male, five zwetoocks, two females and three males, with messy manes and mangy fur, and the apparent leader of the group, a dark gray batamon with soulless orange eyes and black feet. All were armed with an assortment of weaponry, including knives, a battle ax, crossbow, guns, and in the case of the lizardmen and zwetoocks, their teeth and claws. The gray puffball carried a magnum revolver and sword at his side. He had relatively nice leather armor and a black cape with the Nightmare Enterprises sigil on the back, though his cohorts had ill-fitting bits and pieces of armor that were more then likely scrounged up from previous battles. He pointed his gun into the air and fired a warning shot.

"Come quietly and no one gets hurt!" growled the gray batamon in a deep and foreboding voice.

Neo quickly grabbed Heartseeker from her back and knocked an arrow. She'd been itching to test her new bow out in a real battle. Kautounie had taken out the Defender sword and joined Kirby and Meta Knight, growling deeply in the back of her throat. Tiff unfurled her acid whip from Wicked and took her place by Kirby's side.

"Who are you?!" she demanded.

"I'm the puffball that wants all of you! Name's Dusk, I'm a bounty hunter by trade. For your information, little lady, his Grace, Lord Nightmare, and her Ladyship, Riley Prescott, have put a price on all your heads!" the gray batamon growled, aiming his magnum revolver at Tiff.

No, not brigands. Worse. Bounty hunters!

"How much?" Geoffrey asked, with a cocky smile.

"Sixty thousand Gold Dragons for the lot of you, equating about the same amount in Denden, or whatever the currency in Pop Star is now!" Dusk answered.

Meta Knight looked quite disgusted that anyone dare put a price on his head, Tiff was shocked, Kirby didn't know any better as to what it meant, Geoffrey on the other hand, had his mouth agape.

"Only Sixty Thousand for the lot? Ten k apiece?" he asked, "Pfft, I'm insulted!"

Neo and Kautounie both snarled loudly at the mercenaries, most of it aimed at the zwetoocks. By their scent alone they could tell that these were Bloodtooths!

Meta Knight was not at all impressed by this Dusk person or his rabble, and was not at all afraid to let him know.

"Trust me, it will not end well if you pick a fight with us!" Meta Knight warned, "we do not have time for your games, Dusk. Leave now while you can or we will be forced to kill you and your men."

"He runs with the Bloodtooth, he should die for that alone!" Kautounie snarled, preparing to pounce.

Dusk only chuckled in an unsettling way, smirking, "Quite mistaken, your highness. These Bloodtooth Zwetoocks run with me!"

"Same difference!" Neo growled, showing her sharp, canine fangs.

"But of course, you're Redsuns. I knew I had seen your pack's sigil before. Worn by your human friend as well..." Dusk sighed, waving his gun around, as though he were deciding who to shoot first, "Neo and Kautounie Redsun, Geoffrey Redsun, Kirby of the Stars, Tiff Ebrum, and... the Legendary Sir Meta Knight... hmmm, somehow I thought you would have been taller."

"You and everyone else on this planet, it seems!" Meta Knight snarled, his eyes flashing red.

He was quickly growing tired of this banter, and apparently so was Sword Kirby.

"Well, if you resist, I'm afraid my friends and I will have to hurt you, then drag the lot of you back to Nightmare and Riley by force." Dusk sighed.

"Wanna bet?!" Neo challenged.

"You can't kill us all!" Dusk snorted, choking back a laugh, "Surrender your weapons and just make this easy on yourselves!"

"Oh, we don't have to kill all of them, we just have to kill you!" Geoffrey growled.

Before anyone else could do anything, Geoffrey fired, nailing Dusk right in the gut. The bounty hunter puffball doubled over in pain, firing a shot of his own. Once shots were fired, the battle was on!

"After them, you fools! Dead or alive!"

Meta Knight deflected Dusk's stray bullet with Galaxia. Before the Star Warrior could engage Dusk in battle, the slightly smaller gray puffball slid aside, letting one of the lizardmen take over while he tended his wound. The creature attacked Meta Knight more like a demon beast, striking savage blows with it's claws, attempting to grab the veteran warrior to hold him still for a bite attack. The claws did manage to tear through the knight's silken cape. To say that he was upset would be an understatement.

Kautounie and Neo only had one thing on their minds, making sure those Bloodtooths did not live to see the light of another day ever again. While the elder of the sisters charged, artfully spinning the duel bladed Defender in front of her in a mesmerizing fashion, Neo let her arrow loose, getting one of the female Bloodtooth zwetoocks right in the neck, killing her instantly and nullifying the spell she had been about to cast.

The human of Dusk's group, thought Sword Kirby and Tiff easy targets, considering their small size and cute demeanor. He couldn't have been more wrong. Working together, Tiff ensnared the man in her whip before he could fire his crossbow, letting the bubbling acid teach him a thing or two, while Kirby gave him a few good slashes with Winterclaw, leaving frostbit gashes behind.

"Who the hell are you people?!" he cried out, struggling to break out of Wicked's hold.

"Poyo, poy, Medi Kni, pofry... Tounyo, Eo, Ti, poyo, Kabbi!" Sword Kirby growled.

The brigand only looked at the small pink puff in confusion. Was he speaking words of some kind? He quickly realized it didn't matter, as one of his lizardman buddies had already been chopped down by Meta Knight, and the acid of Tiff's wand was burning into his flesh painfully. One of the male zwetoocks broke past Neo and Kautounie and headed straight for Tiff, tackling her to the ground and giving the human brigand enough time to escape from her whip.

"Poyo, Ti!" Sword Kirby shouted, rushing to the aid of his friend.

Tiff screamed as the zwetoock's fangs bit into her shoulder. Damn did they have powerful jaws! She grasped the creature with her free hand, trying to light the creature on fire with a Fire Spell, but unable to get the words to her spell out right in such excruciating pain. There was a loud 'BANG', and the Bloodtooth's fangs released, and it was sent sprawling into the road, a gunshot to it's head.

"No one messes with my ladies and gets away with it!" Geoffrey stated, blowing the smoke from his gun barrel, "Sixty thousand Gold Dragons my ass!" he grumbled.

"Thanks, Geoffrey!" Tiff squeaked out, still startled by the sharp noise and the fresh blood that stained her clothes.

"Poyo, poyo!" Sword Kirby said, in thanks to the rogue.

"Better get him, kiddo!" the rogue mentioned, gesturing to the mercenary that was trying to escape from the fray.

Geoffrey pulled back the hammer again, preparing to take another shot, only to be blindsided by the second lizardman. As claws scrabbled against his leather duster, Geoffrey gave the beast a solid pistol whip to the head, causing it to real back. With an unforgiving glare, the rogue put two bullets in his attacker, sending him to the ground in a heap. The bipedal lizard coughed up some thick, dark red blood and hissed, before going limp.

Meanwhile, Tiff and Kirby both perused the human that had tried to attack them earlier. With a crack of her whip, Tiff snared the man's legs and tripped him, leaving him to face plant into the hard, cold ground.

"Screw this, I ain't getting paid enough!" he grumbled, taking the hand ax from his belt.

While trying to kick free of Wicked, the human clashed blades with Sword Kirby. Thanks to the practice sessions with Meta Knight, training in the snow, Sword Kirby had a much easier time moving across the slick surface. Finally, the human mercenary managed to free himself and got to his feet, though not before receiving more cuts from the Winterclaw. Growing frustrated by this battle, the self-titled underpaid bountyhunter whipped out a dagger, and tossed it as he fled, only to have the pink puffball knock it aside with a wave of his sword. With a mighty cry, Sword Kirby leaped into the air and summoned an impressive sword beam. It cleaved through the ground, leaving a good size trench and made short work of the human.

"Poyo... Ti?" Kirby asked, somewhat nervously.

He quickly snapped his mind back into the fight once sharp claws slashed across his side. The pink puff yelped in pain, holding onto the wound with his free hand. His attacker, one of the two remaining male Bloodtooth zwetoocks, licked the fresh blood off his paws before going in for another strike.

"Kirby!" Tiff screamed, right before she was grabbed by her neck by cruel, paw-like hands.

The other male attempted to use Tiff as a shield while he defended himself with a crude bone knife. Kirby fended off the two males, earning a few more cuts along the way. But the Bloodtooth's assault was short lived. Neo fired an arrow at the zwetoock holding Tiff, nailing the creature's shoulder. The Bloodtooth let go of Tiff with a loud hiss and raised his claws to attack, only to loose his head to a single stroke of Kautounie's Defender sword. With a swift motion, Kautounie practically danced across the battleground to the other male zwetoock, summoning a flash of fire right in his face before running him through.

"Tiff, are you alright?" Neo asked, concerned.

The girl nodded once, although she held her shoulder from where she had been bitten earlier.

Snarling in disgust, Kautounie spat on the Bloodtooth corpse at her feet, only to be punished by a bolt of blackened lightning flung across the battle field by the last remaining Bloodtooth. The rival female zwetoock mage did well to stay out of their reach. Neo fired an arrow, she'd summon a shield. When Kautounie got too close, she teleported away with a loud hiss of protest, harassing them with various combat spells.

Despite his injuries, Kirby pursued the female Bloodtooth spell caster. 'Fight until your heart gives out', that's what Meta Knight had told him, and he was going to make his master proud. Kirby defended against the female's spells, although one Magic Missile managed to slip past, nailing the pink puffball where he had previously been wounded. While Kirby had her distracted, Meta Knight suddenly appeared in front of the Bloodtooth with a flap of his Dimensional Cape. Before she could react, Galaxia sliced through her body, leaving her open for Kirby to finish off. With another flap of his cape, Meta Knight vanished.

Dusk, meanwhile, could clearly see that this battle wasn't going to well, as he was the only one left. Perhaps picking a fight with Star Warriors and Redsuns was not such a good idea after all, at least not for a measly sixty thousand. His thoughts were confirmed when he looked up to see Meta Knight with Galaxia pointed uncomfortably close to his throat. Dusk quirked his eye, before knocking the golden blade aside with the butt of his gun, firing another shot at the masked warrior. Meta Knight grimaced slightly from the graze on his sword arm, but there was no way a little flesh wound like that would stop him.

"Come now... chivalrous Sir Meta Knight, you wouldn't slaughter a helpless victim in cold blood, would you?" Dusk asked, revealing the bullet wound Geoffrey had been kind enough to give him earlier.

"You're anything but helpless, Dusk!" Meta Knight snarled.

The gray puffball limped backwards, groaning in pain. Suddenly, a smile formed on his face as two raven wings sprouted from his back. He couldn't walk to well, but he could certainly fly. With two beats of his wings, Dusk was off the ground, kicking up snow, dirt, and small rocks with every flap. Meta Knight's crimson gaze narrowed as his cape transformed into a pair of bat-like wings of his own. There was a tear in one of the wings, similar in size to the lizardman's claws that raked across his cape earlier. But it didn't hinder the older warrior too much, as he quickly matched Dusk's height, Galaxia held tightly in his grasp.

"Wait, since when did Sir Meta Knight grow wings?!" Neo asked, gazing up at the two airborne puffballs.

"This... this is the first time I've seen them..." Tiff stammered.

"Medi Kni...fwy?" Kirby asked, tilting his head in confusion.

Sir Meta Knight had wings all this time and he never told anyone about them? Never used them?

"Ah, so you can fly, my good knight!" Dusk observed, "Judging by all the strange looks you're getting from your friends down there, I doubt they knew you were capable of such a feat. I wonder how many other things you haven't bothered to tell them about!"

Without a word, Meta Knight took a few swings at Dusk, slicing off a few feathers but not doing any real damage. The bounty hunter may have been wounded, but he was quite fast in the air.

"A bit rusty, are we?" Dusk taunted, noticing that Meta Knight was having some trouble keeping up, although the tear in his left wing didn't help any.

Not to be outdone, Meta Knight followed his opponent's movements, attempting a mach tornado while in the air. Dusk nearly tumbled right into a tree, but righted himself just before crashing. There was no need to stick around any longer, he had seen all he needed to see.

"Better part of valor, my friends!" Dusk shouted, lifting himself higher into the sky.

From the air, Dusk fired two more shots from his magnum revolver. One was deflected by Meta Knight, the other made it's mark right in Geoffrey's chest, knocking the rogue off his feet. Neo and Kautounie were both shocked when they watched their brother fall to the snowy ground, moaning from the pain, with his hand over where the bullet had struck.

"Farewell, we shall meet again, I hope!" Dusk taunted as he took to the skies, disappearing into the darkening storm clouds.

Screaming every foul word the common and zwetoock tongue had to offer, Neo and Kautounie joined their lightning spells together, forming Chain Lightning once again. Meta Knight finished off the fight a sword beam. It was difficult to see, as the gray bounty hunter blended into the night sky quite well, but if Dusk survived that assault, he wouldn't be in any shape to come back anytime soon.

"Poyo! Poyooooo! Kirby shouted, giving chase.

He followed after the fading gray form until he could no longer see him. The small puffball futilely pursued the fiend on foot, eventually collapsing into the cold, muddy ground from exhaustion. Then something swooped down beside him. Startled, Sword Kirby raised his sword to attack, in case it was Dusk coming back for a sneak attack. Sword Kirby looked up to see that it was only Meta Knight. The elder warrior folded his wings, turning them back into his cape. Still with a red glare, he gazed after where Dusk had fled.

"A good warrior knows when the fight is over," Meta Knight sighed, "he also knows to keep his guard up. Come, let us return to the others. Geoffrey and Tiff will need assistance for their injuries, and by the looks of things, so do you."

Meta Knight scooped up his apprentice and spread his wings once again, taking off into the air. The two Star Warriors returned to find Tiff and Neo bent over Geoffrey's fallen form, attempting to heal his injury. Both Neo and Tiff were terribly confused as to why their healing spells had no effect. As everyone soon found out, it was because there was no wound to cure! With a loud gasp, Geoffrey sat up, still clutching at the gunshot.

"Awww man... son of a bitch!" he exclaimed, opening up his coat to reveal the kevlar vest underneath.

With a look of pure shock on her face, Tiff plucked the bullet out of the thief's body armor. There was no blood, but apparently it still hurt.

"Geoffrey, you're okay!" Kautounie and Neo both yelped, glomping the human into the ground.

"Just because I'm not bleeding does not mean it doesn't hurt like hell!" Geoffrey shouted.

Looking rather sheepish, the two sisters climbed off of of their brother.

"Don't you ever scare us like that again!" Neo growled.

"Are you alright?" Tiff asked.

"I'll live if that's what you mean," the rogue sighed, slowly rising to his feet, "You better take care of that and get it cleaned. Sundar only knows what sort of microbial beasties were stowing away within that Bloodtooth's mouth."

Meta Knight and Kirby were relieved to see that Geoffrey was going to be just fine. Both his body and attitude were still is working order, it seemed. Neo helped Tiff cure her injury, leaving her shoulder good as new, though the same couldn't be said for the coat. Then the two of them turned to Kirby and healed his injuries.

"Sir Meta Knight, what was up with the wings?" Kautounie asked, "That was awesome!"

"Meta Knight, I've known you most of my life, and I never knew you had wings!" Tiff exclaimed, "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

Meta Knight remained quiet, with his cape wrapped tightly around him. Perhaps his wings were just something he preferred not to talk about. When Tiff was about to badger the old knight further, Neo and Kautounie both stopped her.

"Let it be, Tiff. If he does not wish to talk about it, don't push him," Neo advised, "Redsun code of honor, respect the wishes of your fellow warrior."

Kirby timidly approached his master, worried by his red glare that he had done something wrong.

"Medi... Kni?" Kirby asked, shakily.

The elder warrior sighed heavily and his eyes returned to normal. It was only a matter of time before his apprentice was introduced to the real horrors of the battlefield. Most of Nightmare's monsters simply disintegrated or exploded when slain. Even the Hell Hounds Riley was so fond of turned to ash and flame when slaughtered. Kirby had seen blood and gore before to be certain, but not quite on this scale. But as a warrior, he had better get used to it, for it was only going to get worse. Without a word, Meta Knight sent the pink puff back to Tiff while he and Kautounie took care of the more gruesome task of dragging the bloody, mangled carcasses off the road.

Kautounie grudgingly helped dig shallow graves for the human and two lizardmen in the mud and snow, but she refused to give the Bloodtooths an honorable burial of any sort, even a shallow one.

"I'm not wasting my sweat on a Bloodtooth!" Kautounie growled, "Leave them, the crows will need something to eat."

Meta Knight knew better then to argue with Kautounie on this matter. The Redsun and Bloodtooth had been feuding packs for centuries. Besides, it was quite gracious of the Redsun not to take their heads and mount them on stakes by the side of the road, as was normally done with slain Bloodtooths.

Meanwhile, Geoffrey had gathered the horses and after the battlefield was scavenged for any loot, a small handful of coins and a decent hand ax they could sell back in town, to be exact, the group mounted up and trotted down the road, leaving the blood and gore of the fight behind them. By now it was nighttime, and they would need to find a decent spot to rest for the evening, for tomorrow, they would be entering the bog and it's infamous asylum.

This night's camp spot was on the edge of a murky half-frozen pond, just a bit off the road and obscured by the tangled, moss covered tree branches. Once camp was set up, Tiff fell asleep quickly, tired out from the battle and long day of traveling. The Redsuns were not too far behind, as Meta Knight had offered to take first watch. His eyes flickered green as he stared into the small campfire, thinking about the events earlier that evening. Meta Knight allowed Kirby to sit by his side near the small fire.

"You did well, today, little one." Meta Knight said, his eyes glowing blue for a moment, "You battled admirably. But as you and I both know, this is merely the beginning. I have a feeling that was simply to test our abilities. The next battle will not be as easy. Nightmare, I'm afraid, has returned much stronger then the last time you faced him. Your battles, our battles, can only become harder from here."

Meta Knight returned to his thoughts, wrapping his cape more tightly around himself to keep warm, and gazed into the flames once again. He stiffened when he felt his apprentice trying to bury himself in his cape for warmth. The older warrior grumbled and pulled away, leaving Kirby confused and cold. Sure, Meta Knight wasn't the cuddling type, but he hardly ever pulled away, either. Usually he just sat there and put up with it. But not tonight, apparently. With a saddened 'poyo', he turned away and laid down by the fire, closing his eyes.

It was as though Meta Knight's heart and his mind were at war with each other. Kirby had to cease this childish behavior, he couldn't let himself get too attached, nor himself to his apprentice. He'd been telling himself this close to five years now. Tough love, it was for the child's own good... and his own. But then Alphess Tamoko's words crept back into his head. _'Your mind tells you one thing, but your heart tells you another.'_

It seemed as though no matter how brutal and sometimes abusively Meta Knight trained Kirby, the little pink puffball still liked being near his mentor. He felt comfort just by being close to the adult warrior. Meta Knight couldn't afford to be too soft on the little one, no matter how much he secretly enjoyed seeing the happiness of his pupil. But then again, there was no reason not to reward a job well done, either. Perhaps he was being too hard on the child. And perhaps, even himself.

Kirby stirred from his uncomfortable sleep when he felt something warm being draped over him. He smiled up at Meta Knight as his mentor finished covering the little warrior with a woolen blanket. Then Meta Knight, having a change of heart, willingly enveloped Kirby in his cape. The elder's eyes glowed blue as he looked down on his apprentice.

"Poy...poyo, Medi Kni?" Kirby asked, snuggling into the warm cape fold happily.

"Just until you get one of your own, young one." Meta Knight sighed, smirking under his mask, before returning to his watch.

He looked around nervously. Everyone else was still asleep? Good. No witnesses to kill...

 **Author's Notes::** To be honest, Geoffrey's 'Rec Room' is one of my many fantasies that I have in my actual life. A treasure trove of weapons, ammo, and money, what more could anyone want? What's up with the red puffball keeping an eye on the team as they leave town? Am I just screwing with you? Do you care? Well, if you're reading this, I sure hope so. Anyways, we have a rough training session with Kirby and Meta Knight, and Neo teaches Tiff how to use her whip more effectively. And we also have our introduction to Dusk, a puffball that spells one thing for our heroes... trouble, with a capital T! Dusk quickly figures out that indeed, sixty thousand 'whatever the f*** he's being paid in' is not worth it. For the first time in this fic, we also get to see Sir Meta Knight's wings. Yes, you all knew it was coming eventually. But he doesn't seem to want to talk about them a whole lot. Just what is the old knight hiding, besides his face? After the battle, Meta Knight is faced with more internal warfare of his heart and mind. I know some of you might be thinking, "is Dusk coming back?" Well the answer is... Ha, I'm not telling!

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	13. Welcome to the Asylum

In You're Nightmares, Welcome to the Asylum

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and the Mad Doctor himself.

'You know, every time I think I'm finally starting to get to know this guy, he proves me wrong. Wings, eh? Who'd have thought? I wonder what else Meta Knight isn't telling us. He seemed pretty quick to change the subject when asked about his wings, either that or he gave everyone the silent treatment. Then again, given my shady background and family history, I can't really go around pointing fingers.'

The Thoughts of Geoffrey 'Redsun' Collins

'Bounty hunters, they're nothing but trouble! That bastard works for Nightmare and runs with the Bloodtooth pack. If this Dusk is still alive after the assault of magic and weaponry flung at him, I'll personally make sure to rip off his limbs and stick what's left on a pole, where he belongs beside his fellow Bloodtooths!'

The Thoughts of Kautounie Redsun

'Ummm, overkill much, sis?'

The Thoughts of Neo Redsun

'I've known Sir Meta Knight for years, and up until yesterday, I had no idea he had wings! But he doesn't want to share, and Neo and Kautounie don't want me pestering him about it. But I'll find out what's up with him, one way or another. For now, I've got to keep my mind clear and focused for the mission ahead. I really don't feel comfortable about where we're going.'

The Thoughts of Tiff Ebrum

'They can't know! It was foolish of me to show them. But if they ever found out the truth about my wings... they would never trust me again.'

The Thoughts of Sir Meta Knight

It was quite late into his watch when Kautounie had awoke and offered to relieve him. For the rest of the night, everything was a blur, until he woke up in unfamiliar surroundings.

Meta Knight gazed upwards to the blackened skies, feeling the dead grass beneath his feet. This couldn't be... but it was. Dreamland... barren of all life, save for the monsters and demons that roamed the dead world. Kirby was at his side, as was Tiff and the Redsuns.

 _'You're all fighting a loosing battle...'_ Hissed an all to familiar voice. _'This time, you will loose the fight.'_

Then he showed himself, in all his unholy glory like a black plague over the horizon. Nightmare, with a legion of demon beasts at his beck and call. At the front was Riley, smiling her usual evil smile.

"We both know what you are, Sir Meta Knight. There's no running from it." Riley said.

Eyes narrowed with determination, Meta Knight went to draw his sword, only to realize that it wasn't there!

"Galaxia?!" Meta Knight gasped, looking around desperately for the sacred golden sword.

His heart nearly stopped when Riley gestured to the shards of gold on the ground before her feet.

"This... this cannot be real!" Meta Knight growled, closing his eyes.

"Oh but it is, little knight!" Riley snapped.

 _'For your courage, you shall all die!'_ Nightmare snarled, eviscerating Kautounie with a single swipe of his talon, _'For your loyalty, your defiance, your love, all shall die!'_

Saying each of those things, Nightmare cut down each of Kirby's and Meta Knight's companions before they even had a chance to fight back. Neo, then Geoffrey, and last, Tiff. Kirby ducked into his master's cape, trembling from hearing the dying screams of his friends. He felt helpless, was helpless, unable to defend his friends. Slowly, Meta Knight's cape shifted into wings once again, and his apprentice gazed up at him with abject terror.

 _'You know what you are... what the both of you are!'_ Nightmare growled. _'You're coming with me!'_

Kirby cried out in pain as Nightmare's hand ripped him away from his master. Meta Knight fought back with all his might, but he too was taken. The bones in his wings snapped from the pressure of Nightmare's grasp, causing Meta Knight to cry out in pain. He could see all around him, his friends from past battles, dying all over again. The ground was forever stained with the blood of his fellow Star Warriors. Nightmare's laugh rang throughout all of Dreamland as he dragged the two captive warriors into the deep, dark abyss...

"Sir Meta Knight, are you okay?" asked a muffled voice, most likely Tiff or Neo.

Feeling something hard rap him on the head stirred the old veteran out of his nightmares. He was not in Dreamland, not even on Pop Star. He was on Horva, in the middle of a snow-covered forest. All his companions were standing around him, looking down with concern. Thank the stars, they were still alive!

With a startled jerk, Meta Knight whipped himself upright, tossing his cape back. He sighed with relief when he saw Galaxia was still there at his side. Kirby blinked at his mentor a few times; he was acting a bit odd.

"Nightmare, huh?" Neo asked.

"N-no... I'm fine. Just the cold." Meta Knight lied.

Neo just sighed, "Sir Meta Knight, it's not worth your time to lie to us. I know all the signs. Your heart rate is quick, eyes dilated, breathing fast, and the first thing you did was check to see if your sword was still there, which must have meant it was involved somehow. And lets not forget, your first response was to deny everything."

Meta Knight didn't say anything more. He pushed to his feet and wrapped himself up in his cape, shivering.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, curling into his master's side.

He was half worried Meta Knight would have shrugged him away, claiming he was just fine. Quite the opposite. Instead, the old warrior wrapped his cape around his apprentice, glad to have the company, resulting in some happy babbling from Kirby.

"We all know the drill, what happens on the road, stays on the road!" Kautounie sighed, predicting what the old warrior's next words were going to be.

Something along the lines of 'tell anyone about this, and die', she mused to herself. The zwetoock mage signaled for the others to turn and look the other way. Besides, there was work to do before setting out again. Neo had managed to rope Tiff into helping her groom and saddle Tank, while Meta Knight and Kirby had their time alone.

"Yes, Kirby, thank you." Meta Knight sighed.

Gently, he pried his apprentice off of him. Thirty seconds, that was his limit.

He didn't feel comfortable discussing the nightmare he had with anyone. Not that he really needed too. Everyone could tell he was disturbed. Meta Knight breathed in a heavy breath, feeling like a great weight had been taken off his chest. It was just a dream, after all. Nothing real, nothing to be scared of, just a dream.

They broke camp, each of the riders on their respective mounts, and it was off to Ravenwing Bog. About half an hour into their trek, the horses had some difficulty moving across the sloppy, half frozen muddy road, forcing them to slow to a walk. Not to mention the large amount of overgrowth didn't help much either.

"What a charming place this is..." Geoffrey muttered sarcastically, looking around at the dead and decaying trees, covered in thick, wavy moss and snow.

If there was a defined road at one time, it was now hidden under a foot or so of filthy, stagnant, frozen water and dead plant life. The smell was quite unpleasant as well. The only signs of life was from the large amount of crows and ravens that inhabited the swamp. To Tiff, it reminded her of Babagahara back in Dreamland, if it were frozen over, that is.

"Now you know why it's called Ravenwing Bog." Neo said, in a failed attempt to break the tension.

Most of the morning and afternoon was spent navigating the bits and pieces of dry land that the horses could safely cross while Tiff used the star piece to guide them. At least with there were none of those annoying little swamp bugs hovering about with the bitter cold weather.

"Anything we should be on the lookout for here?" Tiff asked, as she ducked under a low hanging tree branch.

"Goblins and Bugbears are fond of these marshy environments," Kautounie answered, "Good eaten, I tell ya."

"Zwetoocks have a fondness for goblin flesh, it's a delicacy to them. If there are any goblins, hobgoblins, or bugbears around here they'll run just at the sight of two zwetoocks." Geoffrey informed.

"What about that?" Meta Knight inquired, pointing ahead.

Upon closer inspection, it appeared as though they had stumbled upon a battlefield of sorts. It was a large pool of murky water, with a huge tree, half on the land, half in the lake. Several of the surrounding trees were snapped and broken, recently. Some had claw and weapon marks, as well as a few arrows sticking out of them. Blood, that looked to be a few days old, was slathered across the ground, along with several muddled, undefinable footprints.

The group dismounted for a better look at the carnage. Now the smell of rotting flesh hit them. Many dead bodies and weapons, broken or otherwise, lay in disarray, with a very large humanoid partially submerged in the water. The dead bodies looked like monsters of some kind, the likes of which the Dreamlanders had not seen before. Their skin ranged from greenish gray to yellow and brown and had pointed ears and sharp tusk-like teeth. The larger creatures were covered in coarse hair.

"We've got bugbears and goblins right here." Geoffrey sighed, kicking one of the corpses onto it's back.

"If I'm not mistaken, that's a hill giant it that lake." Neo gulped, motioning to the biggest of the corpses.

"And that giant was at one time holding a piece of Kirby's Star Rod!" exclaimed Tiff, watching as the Star piece in her hand began to glow from the residual energy.

Kautounie and Kirby carefully made their way across the frozen marsh to take a closer look at the giant's body, in hopes that the Star Rod shard might still be there.

"Be careful, dead bodies in Horva have been known to get right back up." Kautounie warned as she glanced over her shoulder.

Kirby shivered slightly, whether because of Kautounie's warning, the cold, or both, one could not be certain. The giant's corpse was covered with burns, from both fire and some sort of chemical, possibly acid of some sort. Regardless, the search turned up nothing.

Neo and Meta Knight were inspecting the other goblin and bugbear bodies, only to make a horrifying discovery. Amongst the claw marks, slashes, and damage caused by carrion feeding animals, the two of them discovered that certain parts of these creatures were missing! Removed with surgical precision and then covered up with their tattered clothing and armor. It wasn't long before Tiff, Geoffrey, and Kautounie reported the same findings when they all regrouped.

"Remember what Garna was saying, about how some of Riley's top soldiers were not as fierce as she thought they were?" Geoffrey asked nervously, looking over to the hill giant corpse.

"Something quite powerful had killed that beast, and must have taken the shard too." Meta Knight mused.

"I'm beginning to think we may have wanted to ask Garna more about this Dr. Knarks person. Just who is he, exactly?" Tiff asked, keeping a death grip on Wicked.

"Lets get out of here before the girls start chowing down, already I can see Kautounie drooling." Geoffrey sighed.

Meta Knight swiftly drew his sword and rapped Neo on the head when he caught her bending down and ripping a small chunk of flesh off a bugbear's body and scarf it down. Not enough to hurt her, but enough to get the young cub's attention.

"What? Waste not!" she protested, hastily licking her fingers, resulting in a groan from Meta Knight as he turned away, collecting his apprentice.

One more quick look around, and they were off. Thankfully, none of the bodies did get up, quite a relief in these parts. But any relief was short lived, as just ten minutes away from where the brutal fight had taken place, the group reached their destination.

A small square shaped keep covered in overgrowth, surrounded by a crumbling stone wall was perched on a hill overlooking the bog. Protecting the stone wall from anyone attempting to break out (or in, as the case may be), was some nasty looking rusty razor wire fencing. The iron gate, which seemed like it had seen better days, was locked securely. Something with very sharp claws had effectively mangled the Nightmare Enterprises logo that was painted on the wall. On the inside, obscured by the wall, was a shabby guard house, or what was probably a guard house at one time. The sign out front was old and weather beaten though someone had written over it.

'Ravenwing Bog Lunatic Asylum. For the Mentally, Criminally, and in all Other Ways, Insane'.

"Colorful." Meta Knight muttered sarcastically.

"We've got to go in. Kirby's next Star Rod piece is in there." Tiff said, filled with determination.

Kirby shuddered fearfully. This place was beyond creepy. It looked like something straight out of a horror movie.

Unphased by the asylum's ghastly appearance, Geoffrey dismounted his horse and whipped out his lock picks.

"So, how do you all feel about dungeon crawling?" he asked, nonchalantly, turning around to face Meta Knight.

The rouge nearly leaped out of his skin when a flame strike, courtesy of Kautounie, zipped right past him and slammed into the gate, knocking it off it's hinges. Geoffrey and the others gave Kautounie both startled and dirty looks, and the horses snorted and reared up a bit.

"You all commin' or what?" Kautounie grunted, starting forward.

"Quietly!" Meta Knight growled, his eyes flashing red.

"Like dropping a piano, sis," Neo sighed, "Sundar save you, I swear!"

Kautounie just smiled, still holding onto a very startled Tiff. Honestly, that young princess was about as subtle as a broadsword up the backside. Sundar only knows what sort of beasies had been stirred out of hiding. Still, Kautounie claimed that's what made the experience more fun. Fearless to a fault, that one.

"You know, you should have just let Geoffrey pick the lock! We're supposed to be sneaking here!" Tiff snarled.

"Exactly, keep your voice down!" Geoffrey growled in a harsh whisper.

They started with a quick search of the guardhouse, which turned up nothing, but it made a shelter in which to hide their mounts. Neo grabbed one of her packs off of Tank's back, and handed out a few flash lights and a torch. Geoffrey pulled a small light out of his pocket which fitted nicely under his gun. Once everyone was ready, it was time to go dungeon crawling.

"Ready, Kirby?" Tiff asked, whipping out her wand.

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded.

Meta Knight and Kautounie took the lead. Thankfully, the pathway up to the asylum was uninhabited. This time, Geoffrey picked the lock on the deteriorating wooden doors. With a satisfying 'click', they were inside.

It seemed as though it had been abandoned for some time, but no one could shake the uncomfortable feeling that they were being watched. Inside was just as cold and drafty as outside. There was no light, save for that coming from their torches and flashlights. All the windows were fitted with bars.

"This looks more like a prison then a hospital." Tiff observed.

"Got news for you, Tiff," Geoffrey said, "asylums in Horva are prisons, if not worse. Horrendous conditions, abusive staff, underfunding. Most of them were shut down, like this prehistoric piece of crap."

"But we can assume the GSA tossed the place thoroughly." Neo muttered, gazing at the cold stone structures.

"Hard to believe that the boss lady spent three years in this hellhole when she was just a kid..."

They were in the small reception area. Off to the left hand side was a welcoming desk (as if anyone felt welcome here), that had deteriorated with age. Behind it was a map with a layout of the asylum. Knowing that a floor plan could be useful, Tiff leaped over the wreckage and tore it off the wall. To the north, there were two stairways, one leading up and the other leading down. Then on the west and east sides were two more passage ways, the one to the west labeled 'minimum security ward' and the one to the east labeled 'guard barracks and staff rooms'.

"Kirby... you decide where we should start." Meta Knight said.

The younger Star Warrior weighed his options, eventually deciding that they should start by searching the barracks. He gazed up at the ceiling curiously, eying the barely visible security camera mounted up there. Geoffrey had noticed this as well. The only question, was it even working?

*Security Monitoring Room, deep under in the asylum*

Yes, unknown to the the Dreamlanders and Redsuns, but known to the dark presence lurking deep within the asylum walls, the security cameras were working quite well. It was a small room, the only light source being the eerie green glow of the many computer monitors and keyboards inside. There were three Waddle Dees, each one wearing a different colored laboratory assistant's coat, working the monitoring systems while a large creature sat back in his comfortable chair and watched, stroking the huge gray rat perched on the arm of his chair.

If one could see this creature, they would see the poster child for the word 'Monster'. He was truly terrifying, half dragon, half... something else! The beast was bipedal, with reptilian feet ending in massive claws. He possessed a tail, which swayed slowly at his side. His scaly body was colored a muddy blackish green. The draconian's face was hidden behind a gas mask, revealing only his two glowing red eyes, pointed elf-like ears, and the curved horns growing out of his head. His wings folded over his shoulders, like a cloak of sorts. He wore a bloodstained lab coat with a biohazzard symbol on the front pocket and a pair of thick leather gloves over his clawed hands.

"Zoom in a little, would you, Larry?" the draconian asked, in a deep, rasping voice.

The Waddle Dee in question, did as he was asked, letting the mad doctor get a closer look at the intruders.

"Perfect Larry! Damn I love these critters! Darrel, Darrel, come on! Snap to it, all angles, fools!" snipped the rat, quite obnoxiously, "You heard Dr. Knarks! He's da boss! Move it!"

"Nasher, don't pester my Waddle Dees. Larry, Darrel, and Darrel have performed excellently and they're very discrete. It's hard to find good help these days, you know." Dr. Knarks hissed.

Dr. Knarks and his rat, Nasher, watched the six intruders with great curiosity. Unconsciously, he reached into his pocket, feeling the trinket within pulse with mysterious power. He couldn't be entirely sure, but it could have had something to do with them. Two zwetoocks, a human, a girl of an unknown species, and two batamons. Quite a strange group.

"So, who do you want first out of this sorry lot, boss?" Nasher cackled, rubbing his paws together with excitement.

"That one, right there!" growled Dr. Knarks, pointing a claw at Meta Knight.

"Hey, he looks sort of like those jackasses that tore the place apart all them years ago!"

"Indeed he does. I never had a chance to catch one of those things, considering I was driven out, no thanks to those puffball knights and that arsehole, Nightmare! But... now's my chance to see just what makes those critters tick."

Dr. Knarks had his Waddle Dees follow Meta Knight on the cameras, only to loose picture on one of the screens thanks to a well executed slash from Galaxia. He actually leaped back, nearly falling out of his chair. Nasher squeaked, then cursed rapidly after falling to the floor. Dr. Knarks on the other hand, ignored the vulgar rat and chuckled softly to himself. He knew how to pick out the most powerful of any group.

"Larry, Darrel, Darrel, prepare the 'guest room', please." the mad doc ordered, "Nasher, it's time you and I clocked in. Shift starts early today!"

"Yeah, bring on the pain, bitch!" Nasher snipped, scampering up Dr. Knarks' tail and up onto his shoulder.

While the Waddle Dees left their seats and filed out of the monitoring room, Dr. Knarks slowly followed, tail swaying behind him gracefully. With an arcane gesture and a few mumbled words, his form vanished completely.

*First floor, Guard Barracks*

Neo was correct in her earlier statement. The GSA had thoroughly tossed the place, and it seemed as though no one had touched it since. All the search turned up was dust, (lots of it), and unusable furnishings and rusty weapons. Kirby sighed, taking one last sweep around just to make sure nothing was overlooked. Next, it was the minimal security ward. Seeing as it only took Geoffrey a few seconds to pick the rusty lock on the door, the security was actually below minimal. Just like the barracks, this cell block had nothing save for dirt, dust, and furnishings beyond all hope. Most of the cell doors were open, many of which looked as though they were opened forcefully.

"Don't worry, Kirby. There's a whole second floor we still have to look around and a basement. We're not leaving without that piece of the Star Rod." Tiff said, reassuringly.

She froze suddenly when she heard the movement of small feet skittering across the stone floor. Meta Knight and the sisters were quick to pick up on this noise as well. Tiff backed up, pointing her flashlight and wand in the direction of the noise. No one could see anything.

"Probably just a rat or something." Geoffrey shrugged.

"No, it is a rat! I can smell it." Kautounie corrected.

"A demon beast, I'm sure of it!" Meta Knight warned, taking Galaxia with both hands.

"Poyo, poy! Medi Kni, Ti!" Kirby cried, pointing towards one of the empty cells.

Meta Knight and Geoffrey took a look inside, but there was nothing to be found.

"I hate what these places do to your mind!" Neo grumbled, completely unaware of just how close danger was lurking.

Dr. Knarks remained perfectly still, relying on keeping downwind of the zwetoocks to avoid being detected. No one could see him, as he was invisible, but, as soon discovered by Tiff, invisible does not mean insubstantial. The doctor cursed himself for having not tidied up, as his clawed feet left definable footprints on the filthy ground. Nasher could only keep them distracted for so long. He had to act fast.

"Umm..." Tiff stammered, eyes wide as yet another footprint appeared on the ground, out of no where.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked.

Sensing the closing danger, Meta Knight leaped into the air, Galaxia in hand, only to be stopped by some form of invisible force. He grunted, seemingly stuck in midair, then was slammed against the wall.

"Sir Meta Knight!" Kautounie snarled, drawing her machete.

Before she could assist the Star Warrior, something else attacked her from behind, then disappeared into the blackness as soon as she turned around to swing. It was the laugh that got her riled up. An obnoxious sound, like that of a spoiled child, only much more evil. Whatever this thing was, it knew exactly what it was doing, and as soon as it came, it was gone.

Tiff and Kirby helped Meta Knight up, while Kautounie and Geoffrey checked around for the creatures that attacked them.

"What was that thing? I couldn't see it!" Tiff exclaimed.

"I do not know. But we must be extra careful!" Meta Knight warned, as Tiff healed the minor injuries he had received.

"As if we were only being kind of careful before. Gottcha!" Geoffrey grunted.

The mage and thief found nothing. Whatever was in there with them, it was gone now.

"Alright, what do you say we poke around the second floor?" Geoffrey asked, "lets find that star piece and just get the f*** out of here!"

"Watch your language, Geoffrey!" Meta Knight snapped.

Figures, a respectable knight just couldn't understand the need for foul language. Though Geoffrey also suffered a slap upside the head from Kautounie, and a firm reminder that there were cubs present on this expedition. Cubs that could take care of themselves and have proven themselves in a fight, but cubs nevertheless. Still, rather rich coming from Kautounie, considering she had spouted a fair bit of vulgarity at Dusk after the bounty hunter put a bullet in the rogue's chest.

Finally reassured that Meta Knight was quite alright, if a little winded, Kirby gave a nod to Geoffrey's suggestion and they left the minimum security ward. Another quick look around the first floor led to a janitors' closet, guest restrooms, showers, and a kitchen that hadn't been cleaned for about a hundred years. But, there were those same, reptilian footprints on the dirty floor, leading up the stairs to the second floor that were certainly not there before. The signs on the wall read 'criminal ward', 'maximum security ward', 'pharmacy', 'main office', and 'electroshock therapy'.

"Be on your guard!" Meta Knight warned, taking the lead with Kirby.

Tiff took out the Star Rod piece again, verifying that they were heading in the right direction. First stop upon reaching the top of the stairs, the maximum security and criminal wards. The upstairs was just as decrepit and void of life as the downstairs. Though there were some ancient dried blood stains on the walls and floor. Geoffrey was somewhat disappointed, as all the doors and gates were barely hanging off their hinges and there wasn't a chance for him to show off with his lock picking abilities. Once again, nothing to show for their efforts. The only things that were different was that these cells had much sturdier bars, padded walls, and all the beds, mangled or otherwise, had some sort of restraining device attached to them. All the while, Meta Knight could sense that they were being watched... again.

"Urg, this place is starting to make me crazy." Geoffrey growled.

Much to their disappointment, the pharmacy had been picked clean of all it's contents. Next, was the electroshock therapy room. It was what one might call a legalized torture chamber, as when up and running, the device executed painful shocks to the patients, in the theory that it would "heal them".

"Dear Sundar..." Kautounie grumbled with disgust.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, fearfully gazing up to his mentor for guidance.

"I think we've had enough of this room!" Meta Knight said, closing the door and ushering everyone to move on.

Around the corner led to a corridor, at the end of which was a large door, that actually appeared to be in good condition. Tiff went to grab the handle when Geoffrey suddenly stopped her.

"Stop!" he warned, not taking his eyes off the handle, "it's a trap!"

Still knowing that there was some sort of demon beast lurking about, Kautounie and Neo stood by Geoffrey's side while he worked on the trap, while Meta Knight and Kirby stood watch. A short time later, Geoffrey was finished, and demonstrated to Tiff what could have happened.

"See that?" he asked, showing Tiff the needle he held in his hand, "It's coated with poison, probably from a giant spider of some sort of snake. Either way, turn the handle and it wouldn't have been much fun for the poor schmuck unlucky enough to get stabbed with it."

"I-I had no idea," Tiff stammered, realizing just how close she came to getting poisoned. "Thanks."

"Hey, I look after my ladies..."

Kautounie and Neo both smiled and nodded.

For as horrible and disgusting as the asylum had been, the main office was quite luxurious and had not been nearly as affected by the ravages of time. For one thing, the floor was actually carpeted. There was a fancy oak desk, a few paintings hanging on the walls, (originals by the looks of things, as Geoffrey made a mental note to himself to come back later), a fireplace, a small sitting room, and a liquor cabinet, with liquor inside! While Neo kept watch, the others searched the place, this time finding a few goodies. There was the booze of course, as well as a small bag of coins and jewelry concealed under a loose floorboard that Meta Knight and Kirby had uncovered, and a finely crafted dagger in one of the desk drawers.

"Okay, so not a completely wasted trip." Kautounie said, placing her find on her belt.

Tiff took a closer look at the painting hanging over the desk chair. It was a portrait of a handsome black skinned elf with white hair, (better known as a drow in Horva), wearing a doctor's coat with the Nightmare Enterprises logo on it. Written on a small gold plaque below was the name 'Dr. Tragong Knarks'.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, curiously.

"That's Knarks?" Tiff muttered, squinting her eyes.

With a sigh, she tore herself away from the portrait, then spread out the layout of the asylum she had taken earlier. According to the map, the only places they had yet to check out was the basement and morgue. But Tiff couldn't help but think that there must be something more to this place.

Suddenly, Meta Knight grunted as he felt something sharp jab him in the shoulder. It didn't bother him... for about ten seconds, then he began to feel woozy and collapsed with a groan, loosing his grip on Galaxia.

"Sir Meta Knight!" Neo cried, startled.

She hadn't seen anything come into the office, or sensed anything for that matter. When the healer knelt beside Meta Knight, she found a small dart lodged under his shoulder guard. By now, everyone had noticed.

"What's wrong?" Kautounie asked.

"He's been drugged, but it will take study to determine by what!" Neo answered.

Suddenly, something very big, powerful, and most frighteningly, unseen, shoved Meta Knight's companions away from him, sending them in different directions. Tiff stifled a cry, holding onto the long scratch that ran down her arm. Geoffrey and Kautounie were the first to recover from the attack. Before they could pursue the invisible fiend, something else struck from the darkness, the same something else that had targeted them down in the cell block earlier. It cackled madly and moved fast. Kautounie only needed one whiff to determine what this thing was, a rat, and a big one at that. When Geoffrey fixed the small light on his handgun, pointing it at their attacker, everyone could clearly see this thing. Indeed, it was a rat, about human sized, with red eyes and thick mane of fur bristled along it's neck, combining animal and human anatomy.

"WERERAT!" Kautounie shouted.

Meanwhile, while the wererat kept Kautounie and Geoffrey busy, Neo, Kirby, and Tiff were picking themselves up. On the other side of the office, they could see Kautounie and Geoffrey were fighting off the enormous rat, and in front of them, something began to move a now heavily incapacitated Meta Knight towards the door and out into the hall.

"Medi Kni!" Kirby cried, watching with horror as his mentor was being dragged away.

He staggered to his feet, snatched up his master's sword, and gave chase. Tiff and Neo both unfurled their whips and gave the invisible fiend a good lashing. Although Tiff's strike only resulted in a pained groan, Neo's electrical whip had tangled around the creature's neck, sending a painful charge throughout his body. During the struggle, a large draconian form began to flicker as his invisibility spell faded. Those dark red eyes glared at them from the darkness, filled with accusation.

"What kind of monster is that?!" Tiff screamed, even though she could only vaguely see the draconian beast that held their friend captive.

"Monster? Hardly!" he snapped, "I have a tight schedule to keep! The doctor will see you in the morning!"

With a roar, he tore the electrified whip from around his neck and retreated, quite quickly for a being of his size and build. As he fled, he slammed the door to the office shut behind him and sealed it with a flick of his hand. Kirby desperately scrabbled at the door, going as far as to use Galaxia to force it open, but it was no use.

"Geoffrey, Kautounie, that thing took Meta Knight!" Tiff screamed.

As the mage and rogue fought against the wererat attacking them in the dark, Geoffrey and Kautounie hadn't noticed, until the door slammed shut of course.

"Shit! It was a diversion!" Kautounie growled.

"Hehehe, maybe you're not as dumb as the boss thought! See ya later, bitches!" the wererat taunted, shrinking down in size to that of a more normal rat.

Geoffrey fired his pistol at the gray rat as it fled. The foul creature hurled more insults before fleeing down a hole in the floor under the oaken desk.

"Son of a bitch!" Geoffrey growled as his gun clicked.

They had to get out of there, and fast! But how? Then, Tiff remembered the grenade she had taken from Geoffrey's rec room. Time to call out Bomb Kirby.

"Kirby, inhale this!" Tiff shouted, taking the explosive projectile out of her coat pocket.

"Now that's my girl." Geoffrey said, nodding in approval. "Going straight for the explosives!"

Kirby opened his mouth and began his inhale, turning the once nice office into a complete mess. The pink puffball swallowed the grenade and transformed, donning a blue cap, similar to his sword ability hat, though this time, he held aloft a bomb with a lit fuse.

"Bomb Kirby, eh? I like it!" Kautounie complemented.

"Blow this shit up, kiddo!" Geoffrey shouted.

Nothing quite like a pink puffball wielding explosives and his master's blade to get someone riled up for a fight. Tiff and the Redsuns took cover while Bomb Kirby hurled bomb after bomb at the sealed door, until the stone holding it up couldn't take the pressure anymore and crumbled, knocking over the door along with it's hinges, plus half the roof. A quick shield spell from Neo was enough to protect everyone from the falling rubble.

"Good -cough- job, Kirby!" Tiff coughed, emerging from a small cloud of dust.

Kirby nodded, suppressing his bomb ability for later use. He was not about to loose his beloved teacher to this unknown monstrosity. The pink puffball looked more determined then ever before. He led the chase, Galaxia in hand.

*Dr. Knarks, downstairs*

Now his disguise was blown, but he got what he wanted. Only problem was, Dr. Knarks could already feel that Meta Knight was beginning to recover from the cocktail of drugs he had injected him with only a few moments ago. He could also hear the explosions coming from upstairs and felt the entire building shake beneath his feet.

"Shit!" Dr. Knarks grumbled.

Knowing his captive was going to wake up sooner then he had predicted, the draconian wrapped the knight's own cape around him, using it to keep his arms restrained, before heading downstairs to the storage basement, and more notably, the morgue. Dr. Knarks trotted at a brisk pace down the tunnel, past some old medical equipment, and into the chamber of horrors that was the morgue. The pungent smell of death was forever trapped down in this hole. It was freezing cold, colder then outside at this time. There were a few examination tables, one of which was broken, a scale, and some rusty surgeon's tools. The west wall was lined with several drawers, all of which were closed.

Dr. Knarks tapped his hand against the far stone wall in a sequence, revealing a hidden door and passageway.

"I'm being followed, do something about it!" he shouted.

As the the concealed door moved itself back into place, he could hear loud moaning and groans as the morgue drawers flung themselves open. Dr. Knarks chuckled to himself. He may have lost the main part of the asylum, but there was a whole other level to this place, not labeled on any floor plans or maps. Something he never told Nightmare about and that the GSA never found, for which he was quite thankful. The pathway sloped downward for about fifty feet, then steadied into a long corridor. Along the side of the wall were several holding cells, which contained a small assortment of demon beasts.

Now Meta Knight had regained consciousness. When he opened his eyes, he could see that he was being carried into a large room. It was in disarray, papers and books everywhere, a few computers, chemistry burners, what could possibly be magic components, and most noticeably, three metal examination tables, fitted with restraining devices, and several trays lined with bloody surgeons' tools. The place was lit by the glowing monitor screens and an eerie lantern giving off green light hanging in the center of the ceiling. Off to the corner, Meta Knight could see an entrance to another room. The sign on the open door read 'security monitoring'. On the other side of the room, there was a heavy metal door, closed and locked.

Meta Knight was quick to find that his own cape was being used as a straitjacket to keep him confined. Instead of struggling now, the old veteran waited for the opportune moment to strike. As of right now, his captor wasn't aware that he was fully awake. His golden gaze followed the three Waddle Dees and a large, ugly rat, which just emerged from a hole in the wall, as they greeted the doctor.

"Thank you, Larry, Darrel, and Darrel, that will be all. Go and take five, smoke if you got em'." Dr. Knarks said, sighing heavily. "Nasher, you're with me!"

The Waddle Dees shuffled off to the security room, while Nasher jumped up on the cluttered counter, cackling insanely. Meta Knight had seen enough, he wasn't going to be this freak's experiment! Dr. Knarks could feel the knight shifting slightly, though it wasn't enough to make him worry. Needless to say, that was a mistake. The instant mad doc set Meta Knight down on the examination table, the Star Warrior threw back his cape and rolled off, dodging the draconian's grasp.

"What the shit, boss?! I thought you knocked him out!" Nasher squeaked.

"I did!" Dr. Knarks growled, unfolding his wings and lashing his tail.

Heart racing, Meta Knight only now realized that he didn't have Galaxia. He must have dropped it when the dart struck and knocked him out. But, he still had his dragon fang knife. Alpha Rhego was right, you never know when you might need one.

"Who are you and what have you done with the others?!" Meta Knight demanded, taking the knife from his belt.

"The name is Dr. Knarks, my good knight. And I haven't done anything with the others... yet." Dr. Knarks hissed.

Meta Knight gazed at the beast before him in disbelief. This was Dr. Knarks? He looked nothing like the handsome drow elf that he had seen in the painting back at the main office.

"I take it you saw my portrait then? Holy Nightmare has a way of spoiling anyone's good looks!" Dr. Knarks growled, taking a syringe from one of his many coat pockets, "Lets just say that black magic, science, and dragon's blood don't mix too well."

With a low growl, Meta Knight leaped forward, slicing through the mad doctor's scaly hide with ease. Dr. Knarks grunted and held his shoulder, opting to use his tail to trip Meta Knight. The Star Warrior struggled to pull his foot out from the prehensile tail's grasp, then started to cut it with his knife. Dr. Knarks snarled and let go, claws scraping across the stone floor as he twisted around.

"Get him boss! Bring on the pain!" Nasher cheered.

"You're not helping!" Dr. Knarks grumbled, sweeping in front of the doorway and using his wings to block them as Meta Knight made a break for it.

Desperate, Meta Knight transformed his cape into wings, and his golden gaze turned bloody crimson.

"Fascinating!" Dr. Knarks muttered, "I've really got to see what makes you tick now. Prepare for surgery!"

The two clashed once again, using wings as shields and striking blows with claws and knife respectively. Dr. Knarks was much larger, but his wings were not much use for flying inside. Meta Knight on the other hand, was able to flit around the draconian, dealing small but annoying strikes from his knife. He had even managed to cut one of the straps holding Dr. Knarks' gas mask in place, which the mad doctor fought to keep on. Come to think of it, Dr. Knarks was just as zealous about his identity as Meta Knight was.

"Lets see what's behind your mask." Meta Knight mused.

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours!" Dr. Knarks snarled.

Just when Meta Knight thought he had the dragon-like creature right where he wanted him, the fiend surprised him, blasting pungent green flames right into his face, forcing the Star Warrior back. Meta Knight choked and coughed from the vile fumes. Dr. Knarks took this opportunity, as he was safe from the poisonous smoke and flames, and jabbed the syringe into an unarmored portion of the blue warrior's body. The combination of the poisoned flames and the concoction he was injected with caused Meta Knight to feel uncomfortably warm and his vision swam before him.

"Kirby... I must... protect... Kirby..." Meta Knight muttered, swaying dangerously before collapsing to the floor.

The draconian used his wings to blow away the smoke and fumes and carefully approached his captive, making sure he was actually asleep this time.

"Who da hell is Kirby?" Nasher asked.

"I'm not sure, but the name sounds familiar." Dr. Knarks growled. "Ah, who cares?"

He picked up the fallen Star Warrior and put him on one of the tables. After making sure his 'patent' was securely restrained, Dr. Knarks pressed a few keys on the nearest keyboard, tapping into the security camera feeds from the adjacent room. His eyes narrowed when he saw the rest of Meta Knight's group heading down the stairs and into the morgue. Already knowing his captive had an unusually high tolerance to his drugs, Dr. Knarks calculated that he would wake up soon. Cautiously, he removed the knight's armor, starting with the shoulder guards and ending with the mask. Nasher and Dr. Knarks both stared in shock. This small, round creature that nearly kicked the half-dragon's ass with a dagger, wasn't just cute, he was downright adorable! Without his armor, Meta Knight was just a blue puffball with two eyes, a mouth, and blushed cheeks.

The two looked at each other, then back to the security feed streaming on the computer monitor. There was the smaller pink batamon, using the knight's golden sword. Dr. Knarks and Nasher glanced to the unmasked sleeping form of Meta Knight, then back to the computer monitor. The resemblance was uncanny, save for Meta Knight's dark navy skin.

"No wonder they wear those masks," Dr. Knarks mused, "If I had any heartstrings left to tug, I'd say that the word precious comes to mind."

"And if he didn't try to kill ya!" Nasher interjected.

"Well that goes without saying..."

 **Author's Notes::** In chapter 12, we get our first real dungeon crawl started in Horva. Oddly enough, they're actually dungeon crawling in a dungeon of sorts. Geez I need to lay off the Dungeons and Dragons, then again, if I did that, where would all my inspiration come from? Ah, who cares? Anyways, just what is the mysterious Dr. Knarks up to exactly? Yes, I did have the mad doctor unmask the mighty Meta Knight, and just you all wait till he wakes up. By the way, Dr. Knarks is possibly the most polite sadist you will ever meet.

What's going to happen to Meta Knight now? Will he escape? Will he be rescued? Or will Dr. Knarks torture him to death? I haven't decided yet, but you'll know when I do. Needless to say though, Bomb Kirby sure is a hit with the Redsuns. Nothing excites them more then blowing shit up.

BTW, please don't ask about the names Dr. Knarks gave his waddle dee assistants. Even I haven't figured out why yet.

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	14. Enter the Mad Doctor

In You're Nightmares, Enter the Mad Doctor

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and A Most Unlikely Ally.

*Asylum basement, main corridor*

Concerned for his captive master, Kirby was at the front of the charge down into the asylum's basement, closely followed by Kautounie. The pink puff held Galaxia, while Neo put her wand away and drew the 44 magnum from the holster at her side. Tiff's eyes widened at the sight of the hand held cannon.

"Do you know how to use that thing?" Tiff asked.

"Oh yeah. Geoffrey taught both Kautounie and myself how to use guns. Can't take the heat, don't screw with the dragon!" Neo commented.

With a snap of her fingers, Kautounie summoned a plume of fuchsia flame, holding it aloft in her hand like a torch. Tiff made a motion with Wicked, summoning a similar green hued flame at the tip. Even using the wand, the girl couldn't help but feel a little bit tired after casting.

"Careful now, don't use all your stamina." Kautounie warned. "You have been making heavy use of your acid whip, after all."

"Keep your voices down, we ain't alone down here!" Geoffrey hissed.

They were about twenty feet away from a set of swinging doors when the smell hit them. Like carcasses, lots of them. It made Tiff, Geoffrey, and Kirby want to retch, though Neo and Kautounie weren't too bothered by the smell. Next was the sound. It was squishing, spilling liquids, unnaturally sharp claws and teeth scraping across old stone and steel. Illuminated by the light under Geoffrey's gun and Kautounie's flame, a beast resembling the bugbears they had found back in the bog charged forward, awkwardly, as if it's ankle was broken, which it was. Not to mention half it's face had already been ripped off.

"Shit... we've got zombies... or worse!" Geoffrey growled.

"Poyo! For Medi Kni!" Kirby shouted, meeting the bugbear zombie's charge.

The beast raised it's clawed hand to attack, only to have it's entire body sliced right in half by a single swing of Galaxia. The sacred sword sliced through the undead effortlessly and quickly, leaving two separate halves to fall to the floor. Just to make sure it wasn't going to come back from the dead a second time, Geoffrey pressed his gun to the monster's head and put two rounds in it. It was well known that all a zombie needed was their head in tact to keep up their attack. Destroy the brain, destroy the zombie.

"Do you think there are more?" Tiff asked, feeling her stomach turn at the sight of the blood and gore splattered on the floor and wall.

"Poyo, poy?" Kirby muttered, softly.

"There is never just one zombie!" Geoffrey said, ominously.

Sure enough, as soon as the swinging double doors were flung open, the rogue's statement was confirmed. Sometimes, he hated being right. About eight or so zombies, resembling goblins and bugbears, milled around in an unorganized fashion. The morgue drawers were all open, and the dead bodies within were crawling out to join the hoard.

"They always attack in hoards." Neo sighed, pulling back the hammer of her massive revolver.

"You guys might want to stand back," Kautounie warned, "with me, Kirby?"

"Poyo, for Medi Kni!" Kirby answered, nodding his head.

Now every single zombie in the morgue was shambling towards the group, hungry for the fresh meat that had willingly delivered itself to them. But as we all know, zombies are far too stupid to know that sometimes, food fights back!

 _"Firra!"_ Kautounie shouted, hurling her pink flame into the room from the doorway while Kirby executed a sword beam attack.

The flames exploded into an impressive fireball, taking out a good chunk of the undead, while Kirby's sword beam cleaved through any that had dodged. Using a Wind spell, Neo cleared the smoke aside to better assess the damage. Now it smelled like burning rotting flesh, as many corpses were charred beyond recognition. But, there were those that remained, still shuffling towards them, heedless of missing or broken limbs, burns, or the fact that some of their insides were now outside.

 _"Comefire!"_ Tiff called, hurling her much smaller green flame into the fray, catching one of the zombies on fire.

As it waved it's arms, the zombie set one of the others in the hoard ablaze. Zombies were not renowned for their intelligence, after all.

"Nice move, Tiff." Neo complemented, before taking a shot with the magnum.

With a 'BANG', the bullet ripped through the head of a different zombie, right through it's eye. Arms still outstretched and gaping mouth open, the beast feel to the floor, face first.

"Keep your distance, do not engage a zombie in a fist fight if you can help it!" Geoffrey warned, firing off his own gun.

Zombie claws were nasty, but a bite, and you're screwed.

With a mix of bullets, spells, and blades, all the undead were cut down and set on fire, to ensure that they wouldn't be getting up again. When the fight was over, Neo checked over everyone to make sure they didn't so much as get a scratch from any of the zombies, explaining just what a single bite or scratch could do.

"Zombies are more then just undead, they're a virus." she sighed, "A virus that exists to feed on the living."

"A difficult to cure virus, I take it?" Tiff inquired, resulting in a nod from the zwetoock cub.

But now to another problem. It was a dead end. (No pun intended.) Kirby glanced around the morgue in a panicked frenzy. The only doors in the room were the ones leading out. Neo and Kautounie both took in deep breaths of air, which proved to be a mistake as the only scent they could catch was the pungent smell of burning zombies.

"Poyo... Medi Kni..." Kirby howled, sadly, eyes on the verge of tears.

"Don't loose faith kiddo, Meta Knight wouldn't want that." Geoffrey advised, studying the wall. "You have to be strong for him, you hear?"

Kirby looked into his reflection on Galaxia's shining blade. Indeed, he was his master's strength right now! Whenever he was in trouble, Meta Knight was always strong for him. Now it was time to return the favor.

The thief invited Kirby and Tiff over, showing the two of them the slight inconsistencies in the stone that the untrained eye would easily overlook. Discoloration, a hair off foundation, and some ever so small indents made by claws in the stone.

"There's a secret door here."

"Then why are we standing around talking about it?" Tiff asked.

She took initiative fast. Tiff used Wicked to extend her reach, pressing the stones further into the wall. Suddenly, a large chunk of the wall slid into itself, revealing the hidden passage way.

"Tiff, you're a natural!" Geoffrey complemented.

"I've always been good at solving puzzles."

Now if he could teach her how to spot a trap and pick a lock, she'd be in business. But that would have to wait.

"Lets check out what's behind door number three." Kautounie snickered, more so to herself.

"Wait, Kirby!" Tiff cried as the pink puffball leaped ahead of the group, bounding into the blackness within.

With a growl of annoyance, Tiff took after Kirby, closely followed by the Redsuns.

*Dr. Knarks' Laboratory*

He had no idea how long he had been out, but he felt strange, like needles were sticking out of his body in different places. Senses returning, Meta Knight slowly opened his eyes. Everything was still a blur and he felt uncomfortably warm. Was it that crap the draconian injected him with? When his eyes began to focus, the blue puffball could see a few needles and tubes sticking out of his body. The next thing he noticed, he couldn't move, at least not much. Thick leather straps had been secured around his wrists and ankles, forcing him to lay prone on the uncomfortable examination table. But the one thing that horrified Meta Knight the most was when he saw his cape and armor, mask and all, in a pile on the next table over. That could only mean...

"DR. KNARKS!" he snarled, thrashing against his bonds in a furious rage.

The half-dragon in question jerked up from his computer at the outburst, nearly hitting a startled waddle dee with his tail.

"Darrel!" Dr. Knarks grumbled as the small creature stumbled out his way.

Of all the people, of all the things to get a good look at his face, it had to be THIS monstrosity! Meta Knight's now white gaze glared up at his captor, though to be completely honest, it wasn't nearly as intimidating without the mask.

"He ain't so cute now, boss." Nasher squeaked, looking over his shoulder from watching the security feeds on the other monitor.

"How dare you call me cute!" Meta Knight snapped, "I demand you release me at once!"

"If I had a gold dragon for every time I've heard a patient tell me exactly that... I'd have... twelve gold dragons." Dr. Knarks mentioned, his voice as calm and casual as ever, as though he had to recount an old memory to come up with such a witty retort.

Meta Knight wasn't at all impressed, and was quick to let the not-so-good doctor know.

"Patient? I am not your patient! I demand you tell me why I have been subjected to this, whatever it is."

For a moment, the angry and indignant star warrior was ignored as Dr. Knarks issued a few orders to his small team of waddle dees. One of the creatures, (Larry, was it?), jumped up on the examination table beside Meta Knight, removing one of the tubes that had been stuck in his arm.

"Simple. I wish to study you, of course," Dr. Knarks answered at last, "You nearly killed me and I've had a run in with your kind before. There must be vast amounts of power tucked away deep within that plush, cuddly body of yours, and I intend to dig it out. Now then, you know who I am, but I don't know who you are."

Meta Knight made a few more futile attempts to free himself. He stopped, hacking a coughing violently when he felt his body temperature rise again. Making matters worse, the draconian's obnoxious pet rat, Nasher, began laughing again.

"You ain't getting' out, fluff ball! Hahahahaaaaaa!"

Dr. Knarks silenced the little fiend with a harsh glare. With a pathetic squeak, Nasher backed down. Meta Knight let out a few heavy breaths, flexing his hands and working at his bonds.

"I am Meta Knight... Sir Meta Knight to you, demon beast!" the old warrior snapped.

"See? Now we're getting somewhere, Sir Meta Knight." Dr. Knarks hissed, slowly removing the straps of his own mask. "Before I was forced to knock you out, we had a little deal. I'll show you mine if you show me yours. Well, it may not have been much of your choice per se, but I am a doctor of my word."

Meta Knight's eyes widened, staring at the creature. Dr. Knarks' face looked as though it had been burned by acid, with features of elf and dragon twisting into a horrifying visage. A small plume of green smoke left the mad doctor's nostrils as he flicked his forked tongue.

"Like what you see?" Dr. Knarks asked, before strapping the mask back on.

"You look good enough to kill!" Meta Knight snapped.

"Of course I do..."

The mad doc turned away, running his hand over a tray of tools, all of which had a sharp edge or point to them, finally selecting a scalpel. Larry, Darrel, and Darrel stood at attention, awaiting their master's command.

"Now then, I should warn you, I don't go for any of that anesthesia crap, it takes all the fun out of my work. That's why I waited for you to wake up first!"

"If it my suffering you want I shall give you no such pleasure!" Meta Knight growled, firmly.

"Oh I'll have pleasure either way, I assure you, Sir Meta Knight!"

As Dr. Knarks slowly moved the small but sharp blade closer to his unwilling patient, he was stopped by Nasher frantically screaming at the computer monitors.

"Nasher, I thought I told you to keep the screaming to a minimum while I'm working! He's going to be screaming enough!" he growled. "I want to hear him, not you!

"Eh, boss, you might want to come see this!" Nasher shuddered urgently, pointing to the security footage playing on the screen.

It was the morgue, all the undead were shambling towards the door when suddenly, two bright flashes of light could be seen on the monitor, and the rest of the intruders were taking out Dr. Knarks' zombie hoard. The powerful draconian could feel a slight rumbling through his feet from the force of the fireball and sword beam. Meta Knight was able to shift just enough to see the ending of the battle and the team breaking the sequence to get into the passageway, Kirby taking the lead.

"Kirby... oh no..." Meta Knight muttered, softly.

He couldn't let his apprentice (or any of the others for that matter) see him like this! It was humiliating and a shame for a knight of his prowess to be seen held captive, stripped of his cape and armor, most important of all, his mask.

"Shit!" Dr. Knarks cursed, unfurling his leathery wings and nearly knocking over a chemistry burner and a line of test tubes with a lash of his tail. "Darrel and Darrel, open the cells! Release the demon beasts!"

"What? You mean you're sending out your prototype-?!" Nasher started, panic heavy in his voice.

"JUST DO IT!" Dr. Knarks roared, poisonous smoke rising from the vents of his mask.

Wordlessly, the two waddle dee assistants pressed a button located under the desk.

*Hidden Passageway*

Galaxia held out in front of him, Kirby moved at a brisk pace down the tunnel. He was vaguely aware of the others having to run just to keep up with him, but right now he only had one thing on his mind, finding Meta Knight.

"Kirby, wait up!" Tiff shouted.

Suddenly, red lights on the ceiling began to flash, illuminating the passageway a deep bloody crimson, and an alarm echoed throughout the asylum. They looked around for a moment, startled by the sudden change an atmosphere.

"Screw this shit!" Geoffrey growled, donning his steel clawed gauntlets before continuing forward.

"Poyo!" Kirby called.

The passageway slopped downward, how far exactly, no one was really counting at this time. Then the sound of barred metal doors being opened, all at once, rang through the hall. Loud groans, yips, and screeches joined the chorus of the alarm sounding above them.

"We've got to shut that damn thing off!" Kautounie snarled, flattening her ears against her head.

"I think that's the least of our worries right now!" Tiff noted.

Demon beasts, of assorted shapes and sizes were approaching fast. Some looked familiar to Tiff and Kirby, like the fire breathing octopus monster, Octacon; albeit a much, much smaller specimen then the one King Dedede had ordered some time ago, and Bugzzy; the sword slinging giant beetle. There were other smaller beasts, that appeared to be more or less leftovers and spare parts from Nightmare Enterprises. Amongst the familiar faces, there was a new demon beast that looked like someone had taken an owl and a bear, mixed them together in the pit of Hell, and this was the result. There were three of those things, to be exact. The creatures' beaks were lined with razor sharp teeth, and their feathery paws had five long claws each.

"Oh... by the grace of Sundar..." Neo said, pulling back the hammer of her 44 magnum.

"Time to bring out the demon beast repellent!" Kautounie growled, setting one hand ablaze with pink flame, and going for Matilda with the other.

Tiff and Kautounie both hurled their respectively colored fires into the fray. The zwetoock's pink blaze didn't explode like last time, but it did set one of the owlbears ablaze.

Using the Winterclaw sword still within his black hole of a stomach, Kirby activated his Sword ability, wielding both blades. He cut through the smaller creatures quickly, aided by a blast from Kautounie's shotgun.

Geoffrey emptied his gun on Bugzzy, and the damn monster was still putting up a fight. The creature's tough hard shell made the bullets near useless.

"Great..." Geoffrey muttered, dodging a strike from the beetle's massive sword.

Neo found herself facing off with the Octacon. Her magnum bullets weren't much use against the demon's leathery hide. After shielding herself from a fire blast, she switched weapons to Heartseeker. The zwetoock mage blinded Octacon with a flash of dazzling light, then followed up with an arrow from her bow.

 _"Acierriow!"_

Octacon squealed in pain and recoiled from the burn of the acid coating Neo's arrow. It's eyes flashed green for a moment, and out of the suction cups on it's tentacles, many more smaller octacons began to form.

"Uh..." Neo stammered for a moment.

She ducked, nearly getting swiped by the flaming owlbear's paw. Then, the familiar beam of light that was Kirby's sword beam attack cleaved through Octacon causing it to disintegrate, taking down it's smaller creations as well. The owlbear only snarled angrily and moved in for another attack, this time ripping through Neo's left arm.

"Get away from her, hellspawn!" Kautounie snarled, amber eyes blazing.

"Poyo!" Kirby shouted, fiercely.

Kautounie put Matilda away, using both hands to weave her spell. Lightning crackled around her fingertips, then she let it loose, giving the creature a good jolt with a Lightning bolt spell. Turns out Kirby didn't have to swing, as the creature was quite dead once Kautounie got through with it.

"Thanks sis, Kirby!" Neo called, casting a quick healing spell on her wound.

While Kirby, Neo, and Kautounie kept the second owlbear and the smaller surrounding beasts busy, Tiff and Geoffrey had their hands full with Bugzzy and the last owlbear. Bugzzy had succumbed to some acid damage, courtesy of Wicked, but he was still fighting strong.

Geoffrey was forced into hand to hand combat with the owlbear, and needless to say, getting a hug from one of these things was not pleasant. As best he could with his arms pinned to his side, Geoffrey scraped his steel clawed hand against the demon beast, in the hopes that it would let go.

"Son of a-!" he grumbled, stopped short by a violent squeeze and a bite to his shoulder.

Meanwhile, Tiff rolled out of the way of Bugzzy's oversized scimitar, loosing a small piece of her coat along the way. (It was lucky that it wasn't her foot!) She unfurled Wicked's acid whip, wrapping it around the beetle's wrist. With a screech, it dropped it's sword, which clattered to the ground. Next, Tiff followed up with a Fire spell, right in Bugzzy's face. It was too much for the demon beast, as Bugzzy collapsed and disintegrated.

"I- I actually did..." Tiff muttered, only to be quickly brought back to the fight at hand.

Geoffrey was still struggling in the owlbear's grasp, Neo and Kautounie rounded on their own owlbear after it had forced Kirby back with an unforgiving bite. Right now though, it looked as though Geoffrey was in need of the most assistance. Returning Wicked back to it's wand form, Tiff proceeded to help the rogue out of the demon beast's hold.

"Poyo...Medi... Kni!" Kirby panted heavily, adrenalin coursing through his small body like a wildfire.

Covered in bites and scratches of it's own but still full of vitality, the owlbear threw Kautounie and Neo aside and charged for Kirby. Two things happened at once. First, the creature lost both it's front paws, having had them chopped clean off by Galaxia, but, the force of the body slam sent Kirby tumbling backwards, into another room that had previously been obscured by the battle. Before he could even sit up, the door suddenly slammed itself shut, sealing the little warrior inside the strange room alone and shutting his companions outside with the remaining monsters.

The owlbear who's paws were now relocated to about fifteen feet away stumbled around, screaming in blind pain. Neo lay against the wall, prostrate, causing her sister's anger to rise to it's boiling point. Kautounie hissed, pulling Matilda off her back as she got to her feet and firing every shell her shotgun carried into the creature.

"Don't! Touch! My! Sister!" Kautounie shouted, emphasizing each word with a blast from Matilda until it clicked.

With one last gargle and moan, the owlbear's mangled form disintegrated. Satisfied with the beast's brutal death, she checked on Neo.

"Neo, sis...?" sheasked, shaking the cub to rouse her.

"I'm... fine, help Geoffrey and Tiff..." Neo moaned, opening one eye and pointing.

That's right! There was still one more of those things! Kicking a straggling monster out of her way, Kautounie put the now empty shotgun away and switched to her machete.

Geoffrey had barely managed to free one of his arms. While he scraped and tore at the owlbear's shoulder, Tiff had transferred some of her own strength into the thief, in the hopes he would be able to keep up the fight for longer. Geoffrey was having a hard time breathing, and it was only a matter of time before his bones began to snap.

Things only got worse when Kautounie attacked from behind. The demon beast twisted around, smacking the older zwetoock mage into the wall with it's powerful paws, but in order to do so, it had to let go of the rogue. Even with a sword stuck in it's back, the fiend still attacked in a savage fury, it's new target, Kautounie.

"Tiff, take this..." Geoffrey gasped, sliding one of his handguns across the floor towards the girl.

Nervously, Tiff picked up the new weapon and put Wicked away.

"Nothing to be afraid of girl, just point and shot!" Geoffrey instructed, struggling just to get to his hands and knees.

Kautounie was putting up a fight just as savage as her opponent's, but the owlbear used it's bigger size to it's advantage and pinned the zwetoock under it's foot. As the beast raised it's claws to attack it's trapped victim, Tiff fired, nailing the demon beast in the neck and shoulders multiple times, though still sending some stray bullets into the wall. Kautounie squirmed out from under the dying beast's foot and proceeded to tear into it with her claws and teeth until there was nothing left for her to tear into.

"Whoa, girl, calm down, there's nothing left!" Geoffrey called.

Kautounie looked up, her amber eyes much more wild and savage then before. She growled at Tiff and Geoffrey, fur bristling. Still in pain, the rogue forced himself up and stepped in front of the girl. He held out his hand to Kautounie in a calming manner.

"Do not move, do not speak..." he warned Tiff.

The rouge spoke to Kautounie in her native tongue, and whatever he was doing appeared to be working. Her eyes returned to normal, though she looked quite hazy and spaced out.

"What the hell just happened?" Kautounie asked, looking around.

The last thing she remembered was Neo telling her that Geoffrey needed her help more, then everything went blank.

"Oh shit, I didn't-?!" she questioned, eyes wide with horror.

"No, you didn't hurt any of us, Kautounie, but you came close." Geoffrey breathed, with a sigh of relief, "Next time you decide to go Berserk, please give us a heads up before you do."

"Berserk?" Tiff asked. "That's when someone goes into a blind rage and attacks everything in sight."

"Yup, and zwetoocks can willingly enter a berserker rage, but they can't break themselves out." Geoffrey explained, "While in the berserk rage, their strength and agility is greatly amplified and they feel no pain. But, anyone and everyone becomes a target. Thankfully I was able to snap her out of it this time. I still have the scars from the last time I've tried to do it."

"I don't know what came over me, but I wont loose control like that again." Kautounie said.

Neo had recovered enough and rose to her feet, though she was still shaky at best. Relieved, Kautounie embraced her little sister in a hug, nuzzling her softly. Tiff gave Geoffrey a light tap and handed him back his gun.

"Alright, good show everybody. All the ladies are here..." Geoffrey started, looking around.

Someone was missing.

"Where's Kirby?" Tiff asked.

Neo and Kautounie checked the empty demon beast cells, and had nothing to report. Thankfully, during that time, the alarm and annoying flashing lights had finally quelled.

"Girls, there was no need for that..." Geoffrey said, simply.

"Why not?" Kautounie asked.

Tiff and Geoffrey simply pointed to the large door that was right in front of them, resulting in two "oh's" from the zwetoock mages. The thief tried the door, but it was stuck, sealed shut by sorcery of some kind. It was far to risky to use explosives down here, as the tunnel could easily collapse. There were faint noises coming from the other side, like a battle was raging inside. They had to find another way in!

*Dr. Knarks' Laboratory*

"What the hell is going on out there?" Dr. Knarks hissed.

"Uh, you're lookin' at it boss." Nasher answered, gesturing to the security feeds of the battle that the two of them were transfixed on.

"It was a rhetorical question, Nasher."

Unwatched at the moment, Meta Knight began working at the leather straps holding him in place, figuring out a way to loosen them. The noises from the fight became louder as the beasts were pushed back into the cell block corridor.

Dr. Knarks tore his eyes from the screen. His Octacon and Bugzzy were already dead, as was one of his prototype owlbears. The insane doctor swept across the room, past Meta Knight, and opened the laboratory door to get a better look at the fight. Now things were getting too close for comfort. The half-dragon flinched a bit at the sound of a gun being fired, then he caught a glimpse of another of his owlbears charging down the corridor and swinging it's claws in a violent rage.

"Damn it!" Dr. Knarks shouted, stepping back.

He heard a distinct screech of pain, then with a flick of his hand, the draconian slammed and sealed the laboratory door shut, not yet noticing that something else had been sealed inside with him.

"It don't look good out there boss." Nasher squeaked. "Both sides have taken heavy damage, but it looks like it's back to the old drawing board for the owlbears."

"So it would seem," the mad doc groaned, twirling the scalpel he held in his hands.

Comfortable that any threats had been shut out for good, Dr. Knarks loomed over his captive, smiling beneath his own mask. Meta Knight steeled his gaze, looking right back at the deranged lunatic.

"Oh yes, I haven't forgotten about you. Now then, lets see what's inside." Dr. Knarks hissed softly, pressing the blade against the blue puffball's belly.

Meta Knight only closed his eyes and braced himself for the torment to come. He would not give in, he would not give the mad doctor the pleasure of his pain. But just as Dr. Knarks was getting ready to make the incision, a small, puppy-like growl caused himself and Nasher to turn around and take a look at the smaller pink puffball standing in front of the door.

"How did you get in here?" Dr. Knarks asked.

Kirby felt his heart skip a beat when he looked up to see Meta Knight's cape and armor, including his mask, in a pile on one of the examination tables. Then, obscured by the draconian monstrosity in front, he could make out his master's gloved hands.

"Poyo! Medi Kni, you hurt Medi Kni!" growled Sword Kirby, pointing both blades at Dr. Knarks.

Nasher squeaked and shrank back. He may have been a twit, but he wasn't stupid. He had seen quite well with his own eyes what that little pink ball of fluff was capable of. Dr. Knarks on the other hand, a smile concealed beneath his mask, set down the scalpel. His tail swayed from side to side and he remained very calm. With a flick of his hand, he ordered his waddle dee assistants to clear out of the room.

"Are you challenging me to a fight, little one?"

Sword Kirby didn't answer this time. He lunged at Dr. Knarks, taking the draconian off guard. As soon as Galaxia so much as nicked his scales, the mad doc felt the burn of her light and flames, forcing him back. His red eyes narrowed and he spread his wings to their full span in an effort to look bigger and more intimidating, which appeared to be working. Dr. Knarks bent down and flexed his claws and smoke began to rise from the vents of his gas mask.

Meta Knight turned his gaze just enough to see the fight, though every time Sword Kirby got to close, he would turn away. He couldn't let his apprentice see his face, especially not under these circumstances.

While Sword Kirby was focused on his teacher's tormenter, Nasher grinned to himself and started going in from behind the little star warrior. He wasn't about to face the blades. Backstabbing was so much easier. But this did not go unnoticed by Meta Knight.

"Kirby, look out behind you!" he warned.

Nasher leaped forward, growing in size as he did, taking the form of a monstrous wererat. With great speed, Sword Kirby twisted around, dealing two blows, one from each sword of fire and ice, effectively cutting the beast down to size and throwing Nasher into an overcrowded desk. The desk broke from the force of the strike, burying the wounded wererat under a few feet of research and rubble. Dr. Knarks quirked an eye at the little warrior before him. These puffballs were more fascinating at every turn.

"Impressive." Dr. Knarks complemented, "I'll have to see what all is inside you as well."

With a roar, the draconian lunged forward, meeting Kirby's swords with his steel-like claws. He'd use his wings as shields, hardening them into a steel like substance with his own form of shield spell, then attack with a swipe of his massive hands. Dr. Knarks let out a loud grunt as Winterclaw left it's frostbitten mark on his arm.

"Poyo... for Medi Kni!" Kirby babbled, panting heavily.

The little star warrior was so focused on Dr. Knarks' clawed hands, he failed to see the tail slithering right for him. Sword Kirby let out a squeal of surprise as the mad doctor's tail wrapped around his foot and lifted him into the air. While Kirby struggled to escape, Dr. Knarks calmly healed his wounds, using the same healing spells on himself that Neo and Tiff liked to use.

"Kirby... you've still got your swords! Keep your mind in the fight!" Meta Knight shouted.

"Would you just be quiet?!" Dr. Knarks grumbled, flaring his wings again.

Just hearing his master's voice gave Kirby encouragement.

Dr. Knarks let out a roar of pain as Galaxia sliced through his tail. Knowing that he was either going to loose part of his tail or let go of his captive, he opted for the later option and dropped Kirby to the floor. Dr. Knarks pulled in his tail, hissing audibly. His form shimmered for a moment, then vanished completely, leaving Kirby confused and staring where his opponent had previously been. The smaller fighter could hear heavy breathing and the stomping of large feet, but he couldn't tell where he was until it was too late. Dr. Knarks grabbed Kirby from behind, claws digging into the scruff of his neck, and lifted him up. Kirby cried out from the pain, trying to land an attack with one of his two swords, but the mad doctor was able to dodge each and every strike.

The draconian flung Kirby across the room, slamming him into the wall, forcing the little warrior to drop both his weapons, cough up his Sword ability, and leaving him prone. His form suddenly came into view, once again, his wounds fully healed.

"I haven't had this much trouble with patients in a long time!" Dr. Knarks growled, taking a syringe from his lab coat pocket, "Now then, this will hurt a lot, and I will make sure of it!"

He took in a deep breath, then let loose a stream foul smelling, toxic green fire. Kirby rolled out of the blaze, hacking and coughing violently from the nauseating fumes. He looked up to the monster that loomed over him. Dr. Knarks was preparing to breathe fire again. This time, something happened the mad doctor did not expect. Using his remaining strength, Kirby opened up his mouth and began his inhale, sucking up small parts and pieces of Dr. Knarks' research and equipment, along with a mouthful of the toxic fire. Then he transformed.

"What the-?" Dr. Knarks sputtered, having been taken completely by surprise.

Kirby was now acid green in color, with a crown of poisonous fumes and toxic flames adorning his head. The gem in the center of the crown had the biohazzard symbol on it.

"Now that's one even I haven't seen before. Toxic Kirby, perhaps?" Meta Knight mused.

Dr. Knarks relaxed a little, taking comfort in the fact that his mask protected him from the fumes emanating from Toxic Kirby. But, he also realized that his powerful breath weapon had no effect against him either. Toxic Kirby walked through the poisonous fumes, flames, and smoke without taking any damage whatsoever.

"Well, it appears to be a bit of a stalemate, then." Dr. Knarks observed.

Toxic Kirby's eyes narrowed and the fumes on his crown became more intense. He could sense that a small source of his power was close at hand. The two combatants were distracted for a second by loud pounding and shouting at the door, when the others who were locked outside in the corridor struggled to break through the seal.

Without much warning, Toxic Kirby snatched up Galaxia and Winterclaw, starting up the fight once again. Even without his Sword ability, he was becoming much more attuned to the blades. He fought more fiercely then ever, backing Dr. Knarks into a corner. Both fighters had their share of fresh wounds, but the draconian was able to keep his healed.

"This will quiet you down!" Dr. Knarks sneered, as he lunged for Kirby with his syringe. "Take two and call me in the morning!"

"No, Kirby!" Meta Knight called.

In a most unexpected turn of events, Toxic Kirby dodged the attack. He breathed a plume of black smoke in the mad doctor's face, blinding him for a moment, then with some force, kicked Dr. Knarks to the floor. While prone, he used a flap of his wings to clear away the smoke, just in time to see Toxic Kirby coming down upon him with both swords. With a mighty battle cry, Kirby drove each one through the draconian's body and into the stone floor, pinning Dr. Knarks in place. The mad doc sputtered and coughed in surprise, red eyes wide, looking at the blades sticking out of his body and the massive pool of blood forming around him. With a defeated growl, he stopped moving and the syringe rolled out of his hand.

"Poyo...poy..." Kirby rasped, dropping his toxic ability.

The little warrior pinpointed the source of his power surge. Right there in Dr. Knarks' coat pocket was a shard of the Star Rod. He smiled for a moment, feeling a familiar source of strength flowing through his body, but then he remembered. Meta Knight! Kirby tucked the shard away safely and grabbed his master's cape from the table. He jumped up to where Meta Knight was restrained, though the knight had already worked one hand free of his bonds. Kirby was only able to catch a glimpse of his teacher's face before Meta Knight turned away, ashamed to be seen like this.

Babbling softly, trying to comfort his mentor, Kirby covered Meta Knight in his cape. He had always wanted to see what his masked friend really looked like, but not like this. The elder warrior didn't say anything, but he covered up most of his face and body with his cape.

"Medi Kni?" Kirby asked, handing his mentor his mask.

Meta Knight gratefully accepted his mask, slipping it on while hiding beneath his cape. Kirby released his mentor from the remainder of his restraints, then brought him the rest of his armor and his dragon fang knife. The indignant elder star warrior tore the needles and tubes out of his body, heedless of the pain he caused himself.

"T-thank you, Kirby. I am proud of you," Meta Knight said at last, coughing from the lingering effects of the drug he had been injected with.

Kirby piped up at the praise, but his expression saddened when Meta Knight turned away from him and sighed.

"It is myself that I am disappointed in!"

Now Kirby was worried. This had to have left a huge scar on his mentor, mentally and physically. The blue puffball felt humiliated. Saved by his own apprentice when unable to save himself.

Babbling and chiding softly, Kirby trotted around Meta Knight to face his teacher.

"Poyo, Medi Kni? Ewen... hewoes... need wescuing sometimes." Kirby said, looking directly into Meta Knight's golden eyes.

Meta Knight couldn't be entirely sure, but he could have sworn Kirby just told him 'even heroes need rescuing sometimes.' How true was that? How many times had he come to Kirby's aid? There were the countless monsters he and his apprentice faced together. There was the Hell Hound, Alpha Balor, and he had even rescued Kirby from the grasp of Nightmare himself. Kirby was right, sometimes even a hero needs rescuing. The tough old knight felt his pride returning, for both himself and his student.

"You battled bravely, my young warrior," Meta Knight praised, holding his cape around him tighter as his eyes glowed blue, "but please do not let the others know how you found me." he added, realizing that Kirby was trying to speak more often.

Kirby nodded; Meta Knight's secret was safe with him. Just then, the adult warrior felt his apprentice rub against his side. He didn't shrug the younger puff away, but he was quick to mention that they could not linger here. They would both need to get their injuries taken care of and recover their weapons.

"Kirby, did you happen to find the-?" Meta Knight began.

With a cheerful 'poyo', the pink puffball presented the piece of the Star Rod he had taken from the fallen doctor before Meta Knight could finish his sentence.

"Well done." he complemented, jumping down from the table, still a bit unsteady on his feet with a sick feeling weighing in his stomach, "With every star piece reclaimed, Nightmare's chance for victory lessens."

Seeing that his mentor appeared to be sick, Kirby draped one of Meta Knight's arms around his shoulder to help support him. The two warriors approached Dr. Knarks' body to take back Galaxia and Winterclaw. It was then did they see his tail and wings twitch and hear him groan. That thing was still alive?!

"Wait here just... a minute..." Dr. Knarks coughed, his eyes flickering back to life, "You're -cough-... fighting against Holy Nightmare?"

Meta Knight's golden gaze narrowed, convinced that this was some sort of trick Dr. Knarks was playing.

"Yes, of course we are fighting against Holy Nightmare! We're Star Warriors, it's what we do!"

Kirby nodded in agreement.

For a minute, Dr. Knarks remained quiet, then he laughed a little, though he was forced to stop when he began choking on his own blood.

"Well why... didn't you... just say something? We could have avoided... all this messy... business!"

Now both Kirby and Meta Knight were confused. Didn't this guy work for Nightmare Enterprises? But then again, Garna had mentioned Dr. Knarks' hatred and contempt for his former employer. Keeping out of the draconian's reach, Meta Knight took a step closer.

"Just what do you mean, Dr. Knarks?" he asked, smoothly.

"I never could stand the man!" Dr. Knarks growled, wincing from the pain he felt when he tried to sit up, "Do you think I did this to myself?" he asked, flexing his wings and tail so the two warriors could get a better look, "When the GSA... raided the asylum, that... arsehole Nightmare took off with my funding and a few of my demon beast designs, leaving me to... take on all the rampaging Star Warriors on my own, though not before... -cough- making me look more like a monster so I'd be the first thing on their 'to do' list. The bastard!"

Okay, some good reasons for hating Holy Nightmare to be certain, but there were some other questions that needed answering.

"Well then, what about what you were about to do to me, then?" Meta Knight demanded.

"Oh... that..." Dr. Knarks chuckled nervously, pulling Winterclaw from his body with a pained hiss, "Can't we just pretend like that... never happened?"

"No!" Meta Knight snapped.

"I knew you'd... say that." Dr. Knarks groaned, going to pull Galaxia out next.

He yelped in surprise from the sudden electrical shock that coursed throughout his body as soon as his hand touched the hilt of the golden sword. Meta Knight and Kirby just glanced to each other, then back to the wounded draconian.

"I say, could one of you... gents be kind enough... to remove your flashy pig sticker out of me?"

"Considering what you were ready to do to us, I'd say it's best to leave it where it is for now until we hear everything we need to know." Meta Knight grunted, firmly.

"Poyo!" Kirby agreed, picking up Winterclaw and pointing it at the doctor.

Dr. Knarks hissed in annoyance. He was able to heal his minor wounds, but there was no curing the one caused by Galaxia, which was effectively holding him in place.

"Fine. If you insist. I'm no fanboy of star warriors or their little GSA, but it was Nightmare who usurped and abandoned me! For a while, the bastard was dead, and I celebrated, Champagne and everything. But now I hear the upstart is back in business, and I want to join in on the fight against him this time! Considering the way you two kicked my tail, you're the sort I'd rather fight beside then against."

"How can we trust you?" Meta Knight asked, suspicion oozing in his voice.

"Sir Meta Knight! I may be a despicable bastard with the morals of a shark and the ethnics of a swine, but I still have my honor!" Dr. Knarks insisted, attempting to get up again, only to flop back down to the floor uselessly.

Meta Knight groaned and facepalmed. How contradictory could this draconian get?

Dr. Knarks let out a heavy sigh. They needed a token of good faith, did they? He'd give them one. The draconian doctor waved his hand, and instantly, Kirby's and Meta Knight's wounds had healed completely and their strength was restored.

"Need more?" he grunted, removing the seal from the door next, flinging it wide open.

Naturally, Tiff and the Redsuns were quite surprised as they stumbled into the trashed laboratory to find Kirby and Meta Knight speaking with the monster pinned to the floor. More so when said monster had magically healed their wounds as well.

"Poyo! Poyo, Ti-!" Kirby called, cheerfully.

"What the-? What's going on?" Tiff asked, horribly confused by the scene before her.

Meta Knight had a decision to make, and he made it quick. He still wasn't happy with Dr. Knarks, but he sensed that there was some form of twisted truth to his words. The old warrior strode to the prone doctor and gripped Galaxia's handle.

"Tell anyone what you saw, and I will personally gut both you and your rat!" Meta Knight whispered dangerously, his eyes flashing violent bloody red.

"My fangs are sealed, good sir knight." Dr. Knarks muttered.

He let out a roar of pain as Meta Knight ripped Galaxia out of him. Dr. Knarks could have sworn the star warrior purposely made sure to do it in the most painful fashion possible, twisting the hilt and everything, something he had to commend. He would have done the same thing. The mad doctor rose to his feet and healed his wound. When Tiff, Geoffrey, Neo, and Kautounie were about to ask just what was going on, Nasher had managed to free himself from the pile of rubble, and was positively fuming.

"Alright boss! Which one do I rend limb from limb first?!" Nasher snarled, whipping his worm-like tail around.

"None of them!" Dr. Knarks ordered.

"What? Why?"

"Because, we're joining forces with them."

Nasher looked just as shocked as Tiff and the Redsuns.

"Okay, what all did we miss here?" Geoffrey asked.

Meta Knight and Dr. Knarks each explained what was going on (leaving certain, respective parts out of course). Tiff's mouth was wide open in disbelief. This was the thing she saw drug and kidnap Meta Knight, and now he wants to join them in the fight against Nightmare? But Dr. Knarks insisted. He mentioned that he was both a scientist and a medical doctor and that he had quite a few healing spells in his possession. The mad doc even stated that he knew how to create his own monsters. Considering that the GSA was now far and few between, they needed all the help they could get, even if it was from a monster-making sadist. Dr. Knarks could in no way be fully trusted, but he was willing to offer his valuable services. The only price he asked? Making sure Holy Nightmare suffered.

"So then, what say you?" Dr. Knarks asked, folding his wings over his shoulders like a cloak, awaiting the verdict like a criminal on trial.

Kirby didn't look to sure, and glanced up to Meta Knight for the older warrior's advice. This wasn't easy on him either. Moments ago, Dr. Knarks was ready to cut him open, just to see what his insides looked like. Not to mention there was the matter of the zombies and monsters he had set loose on the others, and the countless crimes he had committed in the past. But naturally, he had claimed it was all just a big misunderstanding. Now, Dr. Knarks wanted to serve on their team. He had even offered to teach Tiff and Neo a few of his own special healing spells, knowing his fellow medics when he saw them. Finally, everyone came to an agreement and turned to face Dr. Knarks.

"Welcome to the team," Neo said, "Doctor."

 **Author's Notes::** I really wanted to have a scenario that puts Kirby in the place of being Meta Knight's rescuer this time around. Turn about is fair play, after all.

Wait a second, WHAT?! Dr. Knarks being a good guy? Didn't see that one coming, did ya? (Unless you've read this before on my DeviantArt!.) I know what you're thinking. Silver, just what the f*** are you smoking? Well, I do get a lot of those toxic fumes from down in my basement, *cough* so... yeah. Anyway, I checked online vigorously and could not find any sort of poison ability for Kirby, so I created my own, Toxic Kirby. I think it sounds pretty neat. *shrug*

Poor Meta Knight. He's humiliated, saved by his apprentice when unable to save himself. But sometimes, even heroes need rescuing.

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed chapter lucky 13! Things are getting very interesting now. Nightmare has a way of pissing off the wrong people.

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	15. An Unlikely Alliance

In You're Nightmares, An Unlikely Alliance

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Epic Chat Lines.

So, this was an unforeseen turn of events. Who was once their enemy was now their ally. Dr. Knarks introduced the team to his assistants, Nasher, and of course, Larry, Darrel, and Darrel, the waddle dees.

Inwardly, Geoffrey cringed; what would Garna say when he broke the news to her? She'd probably have a stroke... or worse.

As much as Dr. Knarks couldn't really be fully trusted, he was still a gracious host. He had even taught Tiff and Neo a new spell to heal allies in a large group. The mad doctor claimed he hadn't used the spell too much. After all, he was better and breaking them then fixing them.

Right now, Dr. Knarks was in the middle of explaining a new process of monster designing that he had accidentally stumbled upon during his research. A form of monster with intelligence, able to discern right from wrong, even have a will of their own. Since they were all on the same side now, he figured it was best to share what he knew, as a token of good will, and the Gods only knew he'd need quite a few after what he had pulled.

"Yes, I call them Celestial Beasts, as they have a free will and can in no way be called a demon of any sort," Dr. Knarks mentioned, " Nightmare himself has made a few, whether by accident or not, I really don't give a tin shilling."

"Celestial beasts?" Meta Knight inquired, curiously.

"I discovered it, I get to name it! You can do these things when you're a scientist, you know."

Tiff and Kirby both shook their heads and gave him a dirty look. Boy did this creep think highly of himself.

She kept the little warrior by her side, in no way fully trusting Dr. Knarks. The day Tiff did trust him was the day all nine rings of Hell froze over.

"Look at her, boss..." Nasher whispered in the mad doctor's ear while perched on his shoulder, "with that pink fluff ball cuddling against her... after he nearly killed ya."

"And she carries him around like he's a little chihuahua." Dr. Knarks muttered.

A tap on the shoulder from Kautounie brought the draconian back to what he was originally talking about. Celestial beasts, right! Dr. Knarks strode to one of his computers, tapping on the keys and bringing up one of his many formulas, which resembled the bear owl hybrids they had fought earlier in the corridor.

"Nightmare's monsters are crude and slapped together, mass produced for a quick profit. I put love into my work... well, if I had a heart, that is. I myself prefer demons over these goodie goodies, but... eh... " Dr. Knarks commented, quickly realizing that this was not the best way to start off a new alliance, "Alright then, moving on. I have all the plans ready for these celestial beasts, but there's just one small problem..."

"Isn't there always?" Geoffrey sighed, crossing his arms.

"Which is?" Neo asked, though she was pretty sure she already knew the answer.

"Making monsters requires a great deal of energy, my princess, and a sufficient source of funding." Dr. Knarks answered, rhythmically tapping his claws on the computer desk.

Yup, just as Neo had predicted.

"Well what about the monsters you set loose on us?!" Tiff demanded.

"Poyo... poyeah...?" Kirby agreed, frowning.

Dr. Knarks nervously ran his hand across the horns on his head. Yup, he had more explaining to do, it seemed, "Those were all I had left, which since you effectively slaughtered them, they wouldn't have done much good against Holy Nightmare anyhow. Besides, let us not forget, this is where I live, and you broke in."

Geoffrey was unusually quiet, his head bowed deep in thought. A paw-like hand waved in front of his face, rousing the rogue from his trance-like state.

"Are you alright? Do you need to sit down or something?" Neo asked with concern.

"I have antidotes for a variety of ailments. What are your symptoms?" Dr. Knarks inquired.

"Guys, I'm fine. But... I think I know where we can get our mad scientist his funding." Geoffrey said, with that clever gleam in his eyes that usually meant that he was up to something.

Now Dr. Knarks' interest was perked. Funding, what a lovely word. He was quick to point out that he didn't care where it came from just as long as it was a reliable source.

"Oh... good." Geoffrey grinned, trying to hide the nervousness in his voice.

Now the Dreamlanders looked confused. Where was he planning on getting the amount of cash Dr. Knarks needed to create these creatures? Meta Knight didn't say anything, but he had an idea of where this was going.

"I've got to contact someone. Might we make use of your computers for a sec?" Geoffrey asked.

"What's mine is yours, my prince." Dr. Knarks grunted, making a welcoming gesture with his wings, "for now..."

Geoffrey tapped a few keys on the keyboard, bringing up a blank screen, then took a small device from his coat pocket and plugged it into the computer. He really hoped Dr. Knarks really meant what he said when he claimed he didn't care where the money came from. The monitor flickered a few times, then brought up an image of a familiar place. A cozy, yet well furnished sitting room, with weapons and armor hanging on display along with paintings and pictures of star warriors. It was Garna's office! Judging by the angle, the screen must have been concealed behind the painting of Sir Arthur on top of the mantle over the fireplace.

"Come on, I know you're there..." Geoffrey muttered.

Suddenly, it all made sense. Garna Riverdale has been raiding Nightmare Enterprises for years, if anyone could fund Dr. Knarks' research, she could!

A small gray wolfwrath rolled off the couch, disturbed from his nap and stared back at them on the screen. Roaren opened his mouth to greet them when,

"Excuse me! I thought I told you never to – oh hi Geoffrey, ladies, Sir Meta Knight and Kirby," Garna greeted, feeling somewhat sheepish as she stepped into view.

She held a few knives in her hand and tossed one into the painting of Holy Nightmare that was just off screen.

Kirby chided happily and waved his arms in a childish manner, to which Garna smiled with endearment of the baby star warrior.

"So, what's going on? Must be something important if you're contacting me like this. It's about ol' Knarksy, isn't it?!"

"Yes... about that..." Geoffrey began.

"Interesting turn of events, Mistress Riverdale," Neo interjected.

"Dr. Knarks has joined forces with us." Meta Knight finished.

Garna and Roaren both stared blankly at the screen for a minute, letting what they had just heard sink in. 'Dr. Knarks' and 'joining forces', used it the same sentence. Now Dr. Knarks decided to take a closer look, he knew that voice, and once he saw who is was that Geoffrey was talking to, he looked just as outraged as Garna did.

"Her?! Garna Riverdale? But how did-?!" Dr. Knarks stammered as Nasher fled to the safety of the draconian's coat pocket.

"You said you didn't care where you got the funding from!" Geoffrey stated.

"Whoa, whoa, back up!" Garna shouted, "you want me to fund him?! I thought you guys were going to kill the bastard!"

"The thought did cross my mind, I assure you, Lady She-Wolf." Meta Knight grumbled, his eyes flashing red when he remembered his mistreatment at the mad doctor's hands. "But self control got the better of me."

"Damn, that place really does make you crazy." Roaren commented. "What has he done to poor Meta Knight?"

Garna and Dr. Knarks stared each other down with despise. Then Garna's face cracked into a smile and she broke laughing.

"Hahaha! I heard Nightmare had messed you up real good, Knarksy, I just had no idea how much! Heheheha, serves you right, you lunatic!"

"Shut up, you twit!" Dr. Knarks snarled, flaring his wings angrily. "It's Dr. Knarks, not Knarksy!" he added with a very bitter twinge to his words. "They don't just hand out medical degrees to everyone, you know!"

"Oh, and here I was thinking that you got yours from the back of a cereal box!" Garna retorted, with an insufferable smirk.

A shouting match of accusations and death threats erupted between the two of them in an instant. Thank the stars that they were not actually in the same room together or one or the other would have been dead by now. This was getting them no where fast. Geoffrey sighed, nearly slamming his head on the desk as he did so out of frustration, "Maybe this wasn't such a hot idea."

Meta Knight had had enough.

"Both of you, quiet!" Meta Knight commanded, "Cease this childish behavior at once!"

Garna was the first to break off the vocal battle, purely out of the respect that she held for Sir Meta Knight. Dr. Knarks, fearing that he may once again be on the receiving end of Galaxia's power, shut up as well.

"It wasn't exactly my first choice, but right now we need all the help we can get!" Meta Knight pointed out.

"Hey, we can all agree that Nightmare is an ass, am I right?" Kautounie pointed out, "And so is his concubine..." she added in a low grumble.

Now that both sides calmed down and would listen to reason, the Redsuns and Dreamlanders filled Garna in on what was going on, at least the juicy details one doesn't always get to pick up on the streets.

The premise of these celestial beasts intrigued Garna greatly, even more so when Dr. Knarks did in fact point out that Roaren could possibly be one of the before mentioned celestial accidents created by Nightmare. But, she needed more convincing before she sent so much as a tin shilling or a wooden nickle to her past tormentor.

"I know what he's done to you in the past ain't right, Garna. But if he's willing to make amends and assist us in battle..." Roaren stopped himself, knowing that he need not say anymore.

Garna was twirling her dagger in her fingers, thinking. More than half the scars on her body came from Dr. Knarks' torturous experiments. Then again, he did seem quite serious about turning over a new leaf and fighting on their side.

"Garna, what if I asked you very nicely?" Geoffrey mentioned.

The guild mistress only scowled.

"What if Sir Meta Knight asked you very nicely?"

Now that was a low blow! Even for Geoffrey, and he knew it. He nudged Meta Knight with his elbow, receiving an indignant look from the Star Warrior.

"Please, Garna? For old times sake?" Meta Knight asked, taking in a heavy breath, "To aid the GSA in their time of need?"

Hearing that silky voice from the knight she admired was too much for Garna. If she was to agree to this, then she truly was insane. Well, good thing she hadn't been taking her meds, then!

"As long as I have assurance that the funding will be used only for it's intended purpose." Garna said at last.

"Fair enough, Miss Riverdale." Dr. Knarks hissed, bowing his head, "and perhaps if you would so permit, could I borrow your rather unique wolfwrath so I could study him?"

"Don't push your luck, Knarksy!" Garna snapped, "If I so much as catch a whiff of betrayal from you... it wont just be your funding that gets cut... know what I mean?!" she asked, holding up a nasty looking crowbar to the screen, shaking it a little just to make her point.

"Perfectly, Miss Riverdale... and don't call me Knarksy."

Ah, nothing like death threats and name calling to start off a new alliance. After some more negotiating, Garna had fully agreed to transfer the funds Dr. Knarks needed to get his research off the ground once again. Geoffrey prayed silently to Sundar that he had made the right decision. For all he knew, this could make or break the war at hand. Sure enough, when Dr. Knarks began to check his other computer in the lab, he already had enough money to get started with his research once again. Boy did that crazy girl work fast. Tiff and Kirby both laughed softly at the thought that out there somewhere, Nightmare was throwing a tantrum when he found out that his campaign money was missing once again, without a trace.

"Thanks, Garna. I owe you one... " Geoffrey said, "and I owe you fifty..." he added, turning to Meta Knight.

"I'm going to remember you said that." Meta Knight muttered.

"Damn right, Geoffrey!" Garna snipped.

She wasn't entirely happy, but technically, it wasn't her money being sent to Dr. Knarks. Besides, if he tried anything, she now had all the information she needed know, enough to make his life a living hell if need be.

"Excellent, excellent!" Dr. Knarks mused, eyes glowing with excitement, "now I can get that monster transporter in the other room fixed."

"You have a monster transporter here?!" Tiff shouted with a start.

"Doesn't everyone?" the mad doc snorted, as if monster transportation devices were a common household thing. "Anyway, it's not much use right now, the damn thing is broken. But now Larry, Darrel, Darrel, and I can get it working again, since we have our funding."

The doctor rushed about his lab in a mad flurry, gathering old research papers, journals and a tool box. He collected his waddle dee helpers, then unlocked the large metal door in the lab with a flick of his hand.

"I've got some work to do. Feel free to continue your little chat on my computers, just don't touch my research... and no food or beverages either..." Dr. Knarks instructed, flicking his tail, "Holy Nightmare, you magnificent bastard, I read your book! Muahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaa!" he shouted to the ceiling, maniacally waving his fists in the air.

With that, he retreated into the other room, closing the door behind him. Kirby flinched when he heard something crash, and then the sound of electric sparks and drills being used.

"He's got a good mad scientist laugh..." Tiff sighed.

"Poyo..." Kirby nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, a thought crossed Meta Knight's mind. Perhaps from here there was some way he could get into contact with the Halberd! If she was still flying, that was.

Tiff and Kirby both knew that the elder warrior's green eyes meant. He had an idea.

"Just what are you thinking?" Neo inquired.

"The Halberd!" Meta Knight answered, his eyes flashing bright grass green, "Perhaps I can make contact with Sword Knight and Blade Knight from here!"

Geoffrey moved aside, letting Meta Knight take the seat at the computer desk. The old warrior wasted no time as he hastily tapped the keys. Another screen, this one only showing static for now, appeared beside the one Garna occupied, though by the looks of things, she was already searching for any signs of the Halberd on her own hand held console, with a sly little smirk on her face.

Tiff, Kirby and the Redsuns all crowded around the monitor, anxiously awaiting what Meta Knight or Garna would find. For all they knew, there could be nothing for either of them to locate, or everything.

"Garna, are you sure these transmissions are safe? Nightmare or Riley could be watching us at this very minute." Meta Knight mentioned, worriedly.

The little thief just giggled, while Roaren rolled his eyes.

"Oi, just wait till you hear this!" Roaren laughed.

"Oh, don't you worry about them. They've already tried to hack in," Garna snorted. "Right now all they're getting are reruns of According to Jim"

Geoffrey and the zwetoock sisters both laughed. Now that was cruel! Serves that bastard Nightmare right!

"Garna, you're amazing!" Kautounie complemented.

"I know I am..." Garna sighed.

Ah, such a humble little soul, was she.

*Somewhere in Space, Battleship Halberd*

It had been more then a week since the Halberd and her meager crew had been forced into the far reaches of the galaxy. Over the course of their own journey, the Halberd had taken quite some damage from the hoards sent after her by Nightmare Enterprises, and it wasn't certain how much more she could take. They needed somewhere safe to land and make extensive repairs.

Sword and Blade were on the bridge, gazing out into blackness of space, somewhat entranced by the beauty of the stars twinkling within. Hard to believe great evil could exist in a universe so beautiful. They were stirred out of their trance by the former King Dedede barging in and demanding to know where they were exactly.

"We'll let you know as soon as we do!" Sword insisted, trying to keep his voice as calm and level as possible.

He and his fellow knave were close to their breaking point. One more week of this and it was lights out for Dedede! That is, as long as Nightmare didn't get to them first. Suddenly, an image flickered on the screens, covering up their view of the galaxy. The two knaves and King Dedede both tensed. It was probably another offer from Riley or Nightmare to surrender and turn themselves in peacefully.

"We ain't surrenderin'!" Sword shouted, whether the audio was working yet, he really didn't care.

"Why don't you go and show yourself, woman!" King Dedede demanded. "I'll give ya a piece o' my mind!"

They stopped when the image of a strange girl with messy black hair, pointed ears, wearing a spike dog collar appeared on the screen with a small, discolored wolfwrath by her side. But that didn't make a lick of sense! If she had a demon beast at her side, then what was up with the shrine to star warriors and GSA in the background? Come to think of it, was one of those pictures of themselves with Meta Knight?

"Ah, this must be the Halberd, then?" Garna asked cheerfully, gazing straight at them while stroking Roaren on the head.

"Who- who are you?" Blade asked.

"Mhmmm, you don't know me, but I sure know you. Sword and Blade, right?" Garna questioned, pointing to the two knights respectively. "Name's Garna, the She-Wolf. I'll say this, I am a bit jealous Sir Meta Knight found you two before I could. I would have liked to have had muscle like you in my thieves' guild."

Sword and Blade glanced to each other nervously. Just who was this strange little creature, and how did she know so much about them? Before they had met Sir Meta Knight, they were nothing more then wandering brigands. But how did she know? That wasn't information they advertised.

"Wow, Sword Knight and Blade Knight! Sir Meta Knight's ever faithful knaves! A pleasure to meet you two!" Roaren said, very politely.

Okay, now a wolfwrath was talking to them. More so, a starstruck one. This was getting weirder and weirder.

"Hey, I'm the king here! Just what the heck is goin' on?" King Dedede demanded, pushing his way past the two baffled knaves, "You better start speakin', girlie, and speak fast! Just what do you want?!"

"Cork it, fatso, I was talking to those two!" Garna growled, gesturing to Sword and Blade.

"Fatso? How dare you insult me, girlie, I'm the king here!"

"From where I'm standing you ain't king of two things, Jack and Shit, and Jack left town!"

Before Garna, Dedede, Sword, or Blade could say anything more, another image appeared beside Garna's. The two knaves and even King Dedede felt their hearts stop for a second. It was Meta Knight! Alive and well, along with Tiff, Kirby, and the Horvians. They appeared to be in a laboratory of sorts, or just an eccentric being's office, one of the two.

"Sir Meta Knight!" Sword and Blade shouted in unison.

"Sword, Blade... King Dedede," Meta Knight said, forcing that last name out, "It's great to see that you're all okay."

"Oh good, this is turning into a real party." Garna commented.

"It ain't much of a party from where I'm standin'! Nightmare and Riley have been herassin' us ever since they forced us off Pop Star!" King Dedede stated.

Both parties exchanged their stories, starting from where the battle aboard the Halberd's deck ended. Shortly after that was when things started to go downhill for Dreamland, as Nightmare's plague of evil had turned the once beautiful land into a war zone, with Riley as his lead general. It only seemed worse when the Halberd's crew was informed about the Star Rod's destruction.

"We've collected three pieces so far, and we know there's two more here on Horva." Tiff said, trying to be optimistic about a grim situation.

The conversation stopped when a loud zap and cursing from Dr. Knarks' closed room could be heard by everyone present.

"What was that?" King Dedede asked.

"Eh... don't worry about it, highness." Neo piped in quickly, forcing a smile.

The Dreamlanders and Redsuns all turned towards the direction of Dr. Knarks' monster transporter room, then back to the screen.

"That's just our newest recruit, our very own mad scientist and disgruntled ex-employee of Nightmare Enterprises" Kautounie explained, over some more zaps and curses.

"Sir Meta Knight, the Halberd has taken heavy damage. The reactor's been badly damaged, but we've been able to keep it working long enough to keep us goin'. Still, we're not sure how much longer she'll hold." Sword said, worry heavy in his voice.

"We've 'early 'un out of supplies, an we ought to land 'omewhere for full repairs." Blade added.

Meta Knight thought hard for a few moments.

"Whatcha thinking, buddy?" Geoffrey asked.

Meta Knight didn't say anything, but instead, began tapping keys on the keyboard. Of course, it was obvious, why didn't he think of it earlier?! Garna, who had apparently been reading the blue puff's mind, (so it seemed), began tapping rapidly on her own little device.

"Sword, Blade, check the ship's data base, I've just sent you some coordinates. Set your next course for the planet of Horva!" Meta Knight ordered.

"Yes sir!" Blade answered with a salute, while Sword set the Halberd's course.

At least now they didn't feel so lost any more. No longer with a sword in their hearts, lumps in their throats, and absolutely no idea where the hell they were going, the small group on the bridge felt their morale return. The Halberd was a good ship, she'd have to be strong enough to get to their next destination. Slowly, the ship shifted directions, heading towards an unusually bright dot in the inky blackness of space.

"Course set, sir. Estimated arrival, about six days at our current pace!" Sword said, looking up from the console on the Halberd's deck.

"Excellent! Find somewhere safe to land once you reach Horva and start work on repairs." Meta Knight commanded.

"You'll find safety on the boarders of the Crimson Woods," Kautounie mentioned, "Park her there, we'll explain things to my mother... somehow... we haven't quite gotten that far."

At the odd looks she was getting from the two knaves and King Dedede, Kautounie revealed to them that her mother and Neo's was the ruler of the Redsun clan, who inhabited the Crimson Woods.

"It came a surprise to us too." Tiff mentioned.

"Considering that the Halberd's gonna be our ride back to Dreamland, I'm sure mother will understand." Neo shrugged, "but I have an idea on how we'll get word to her."

Before signing off (official Wolf Pack business and all, she had to get back to the club), Garna assured the Halberd's crew that she would help keep Nightmare and Riley off their tail, "Roaren and I will be making sure that all Riley and Nightmare will get is snow and bad sitcoms. They should leave you guys alone." she cackled, "Good luck everyone. May Nightmare's downfall come swiftly and painfully!"

And with those words, her screen went dark.

"Aiye, Tiff. Perhaps you'd like to speak with your family?" Sword suggested, "They've been worried sick!"

Since they wouldn't be back to Dr. Knarks' lab for some time once they left, Meta Knight allowed Tiff to speak with her family while they were still online and secure.

Tuff was sure surprised to see how different his big sister was. He looked a little different too, as Sword and Blade had been working with him and teaching him how to use a sword, when they could make sure Dedede wasn't going to run the Halberd into the ground... or an asteroid, or anything else for that matter.

"Wow... sis... you're like... like..." Tuff stammered.

"You can say it, kid. You're big sister is well on her way to becoming a badass!" Geoffrey commented.

Tiff laughed nervously. But somehow, that did sound good. She talked with her family for a while, explaining about her most recent adventures she had been having with Kirby, Meta Knight and the Redsuns. She didn't know how long she and her family spoke, nor had she even realized that Dr. Knarks and his assistants had taken a break from fixing his monster transporter.

"Tiff..." Meta Knight said, startling the girl with his words and a hand on her shoulder, "I apologize, but we must get ready to leave this place. Say your good byes, quickly."

"Poyo? Medi Kni?" Kirby asked, sadly.

He was so happy getting to see some familiar faces again. It felt way to soon to say good bye. The pink puff glanced to his mentor, who only turned away to join the Redsuns and Dr. Knarks on the other side of the laboratory.

"I say, you know how insistent Sir Meta Knight can get." Sir Ebrum sighed, "Good luck, Tiff, you're mother and I love you."

"You and Kirby be careful, dear." said Lady Like.

"Don't worry, it wont be too awfully long until we make it there, a week at most." Sword reassured Tiff and Kirby, "By the way, could you let the Redsuns know that we found their stuff?"

"Say what now?" King Dedede asked, only to be ignored.

Tiff smiled weakly, she did recall a few days ago hearing Geoffrey in a tizzy over a sniper riffle he had left on board the Halberd. But it was nice to be able to see her family again before having to head back out into the cold and rough road back to Thea'or.

"Mom, dad, I love you. Stay safe," Tiff said, "and Tuff, you listen to Sword Knight and Blade Knight, keep out of trouble!"

Tuff just smiled mischievously, running a hand through his shaggy hair. Finally, Tiff tore herself away and the screen went dark. She never did like long good byes and wasn't shy about letting anyone else know.

It was certainly a different turn of events then what they had been expecting. Now Sword and Blade knew that their master was still alive and well, and that gave them all the courage that they needed. They knew that they were no longer alone.

*Dr. Knarks' Laboratory*

Sighing sadly, Tiff plucked Kirby up into her arms and joined the others. Apparently, as another good deed to make amends for past actions, Dr. Knarks had restocked their supplies, though not before Neo got through checking it to make sure that there were no hidden surprises inside.

"Still don't trust me, eh?" Dr. Knarks sighed, "That cuts deeper then any scalpel."

"Alright, doctor, we've got you your funding, how long for the beasties?" Geoffrey asked.

"Any dilbert can summon monsters with a spell, but making monsters is different! It's not exactly an overnight process, my good man! Even Nightmare doesn't make all of his demon beasts in a single night! 'All' being the keyword here. Anyway, these are specialty creatures you have requested. Do you want quality or quantity?"

Damn it! Why does the mad man have to be right?

"Fine. But it wasn't a cakewalk to get you that cash, Garna's not thrilled about working with you." Geoffrey warned.

"Think nothing of it, Geoffrey. I for one, think nothing of her!" Dr. Knarks growled, resulting in some snickering from Nasher.

The thief shot Dr. Knarks a dirty look. That's right, that was the boss lady he had just insulted. Dr. Knarks immediately apologized.

"Well, then, I wish you luck on your journey and a never ending flow of Nightmare's monsters to slaughter and maim."

Erm... apparently that was his attempt to be friendly. But what more could they expect from a sadist?

Dr. Knarks turned his sharp gaze to Kirby, startling the pink puffball for a moment. He breathed a small plume of poisonous green flame, then caught it in his hand before placing it inside a small flask and handing it to Kirby.

"That Toxic ability of yours seemed quite devastating," Dr. Knarks commented, "I rather liked it. Keep that on hand, never know when it will come in handy."

Kirby smiled, then swallowed the flask, storing it away for later use.

"We'll keep in touch, doctor." Meta Knight sighed, waiting by the door.

"Thank you for your assistance Dr. Knarks. Hopefully our next meeting will be under less violent circumstances." Neo mentioned, more so out of politeness then true respect.

"Yeah, ummm, see ya..." Kautounie mumbled under her breath, "psycho much!"

"Off so soon?" Dr. Knarks asked, watching as the adventuring group filed out of the lab, "But I was going to make espresso..." he finished, quietly to himself.

"Espresso, eh? More for us boss!" Nasher squeaked happily.

Secretly relieved to be left in peace, Dr. Knarks turned up the heat on one of his chemistry burners, rigging up several tubes and beakers together. He sure had a unique way of making coffee. Larry, Darrel, and Darrel set up the computers, locking onto the security cameras, watching as the Dreamlanders and Redsuns took their leave. Dr. Knarks smiled beneath his mask. He took a small vial of red liquid out of his pocket and twirled it in his clawed fingers.

"I still have a small part of you, Sir Meta Knight. Can't wait to see what secrets you'll share with me."

Sure, Dr. Knarks lost a shiny trinket and his prisoner was now his ally, but he had gained so much more. This time, he would be there to witness Nightmare's downfall! Not only that, he would be a part of it. No more plotting, time for doing! Dr. Knarks sighed contently, he had everything he wanted right now. His pet rat, his loyal assistants, his espresso, and most important of all, his funding.

"You know, perhaps that little twit Garna isn't all that bad." he mused, taking the now full beaker off the burner and slipping his mask off so he could drink his brew, "But I can't help but wonder... where is she getting the cash from?"

*Castle Prescott, Dungeons, TV Studio/Communications Room*

"Damn it, I can't take anymore! Get me those transmissions!" Riley screamed, covering her ears and groaning. "This is horrible!"

The demon beasts in question, manning the consoles were about ready to cry out of fear, considering one of their own had already met an ugly demise by Nightmare's hand, and it was Riley's turn to kill next. But the only thing they were able to pick up was some sort of sitcom TV show that had somehow been forced into the system, and wasn't turning off.

"I don't believe this! It's on every damn channel!" Nightmare hissed dangerously, hovering above his minions, picking out his next target.

"M-milord... milady... there's... there's nothing we can do... the- the- broadcast is jammed, there's n-n-no way to..." stammered one of the frightened underlings.

A bad choice of words on his part. Riley snarled and raised her staff, sending a small ball of ice right into the demon beast's chest, killing him in an instant and leaving his lifeless corpse to slide from his chair.

"Hmmmmm, anybody else say they can't? Would it take three of you, will that get the point across?" she questioned, waving her staff around dangerously.

Suddenly, Nightmare shrank in size, throwing one of the minions out of his seat and taking over. The wraith gulped nervously, hoping it was just a twinge of paranoia that came with the carrier. He managed to get into the Nightmare Enterprises site, only to realize that his theory was correct. A good solid chunk of his money was missing, and there was no trace, but he knew exactly who had taken it. It seemed no mater what sort of encryption he made, no mater how much precautions he took, somehow, that little halfling girl found her way into his funding.

When the Demon Lord himself began to fume with rage, the other beasts fled from their posts, heedless of any reprimands that they would later receive.

"Oh that little... fishwife!" Nightmare snarled, for lack of any better, harsher insults that came to mind.

"Who?" Riley muttered.

Nightmare didn't answer. Instead he pounded his powerful fist into the monitor screen before storming out of the studio in a violent rage.

 _'The game's getting interesting now, sis. Don't you think?'_ Fey asked.

"That's one way of putting it." Riley said flatly, before following after Nightmare.

*Ravenwing Bog, outside the asylum*

Everyone was deathly quiet until outside. Was what just happened even real? For a while, it seemed as though reality and dreams were becoming a muddled mess, it was difficult to tell what was which anymore.

"Sir Meta Knight... do you think we did the right thing?" Geoffrey asked, nervously, "I mean, I have no idea what he did to you, but I know what he did to Garna..."

"It is not something I wish to discuss! What's in the past is in the past, there's no turning back now." Meta Knight insisted, "only time will tell us if we made a mistake in our judgment."

Kautounie and Neo both mentioned to Geoffrey not to pester the old veteran any more.

There was no way Meta Knight would dare admit it out loud, but he was quite exhausted from his ordeal.

The skies were starting to clear up and the sunlight was peaking through the dense branches of the surrounding bog. Morning already? Had they really spent an entire afternoon and night in there?

"Now that was one hell of an adventure!" Kautounie stated, leading Diesel out of the guardhouse.

"Poyo, poy... Medi Kni, Ti!" Kirby chided, happily waving his arms.

There was no response. Worried, Kirby searched for his teacher, whom he had just seen only moments ago.

"Where's Sir Meta Knight?" Tiff questioned.

"He's right over there." Neo answered, pointing.

The elder star warrior was already on Gunner's back, seated in front of Geoffrey this time. He was leaning heavily against the human, his golden eyes dull, signaling that they were closed. Geoffrey just shrugged. But even seasoned warriors needed to crash every now and then.

Neo and Kautounie whispered to each other, presumably about just how cute Meta Knight looked when he was asleep. Giggling softly and with thoughts of their next adventures flooding their minds, the zwetoock sisters each mounted up with their respective passengers, and headed out. If conditions were good, they'd be out of the bog by afternoon. Mission complete, time to head back to base.

"Oh Geoffrey." Tiff called out, before she forgot.

"Hmmm?" was the human's only inquiry.

"Sword and Blade just wanted me to let you know that they found your guns."

*Meanwhile, back at Castle Prescott, throne room*

Lucifer and Spitfire were making their own fun, tormenting a small yellow bird that flopped around helplessly on the floor, one wing held an an awkward angle. Glasya watched with mild amusement from her seat on the throne. Since Nightmare and Riley were not around, she figured that it was her turn for the comfortable seat.

"Call me a mutt, will ya?!" Lucifer snarled, loosening a puff of smoke into the hummingbird's face, laughing gleefully as he choked.

Their fun was cut short by the large TV screen unfolding from it's concealed spot inside the castle ceiling. Glasya pressed a button that appeared on the arm of the throne, and an image flickered onto the monitor. It was a gray puffball that was battered and badly bruised, one raven wing tucked uselessly at his side. His breathing was heavy and forced. He appeared to be inside a small, one-seat spacecraft by the looks of things, that was parked in a dense, frozen bog.

"Oh... hi Dusk..." Glasya grunted.

"Lovely as always, Glasya. But I haven't... got much time for pleasantries, where's that harpy?!" Dusk demanded.

Before Glasya could answer, the throne room doors burst open and Riley stormed inside. Immediately, Glasya vacated the throne while Lucifer and Spitfire slunk away into the shadows, whining pitifully. Riley did not appear to be in a good mood at all.

"You wanted to talk to the harpy?!" Riley snorted, taking a seat in the throne.

With a tongue as sharp as his sword, Dusk got right down to business, "Sixty thousand Gold Dragons? My tin-plated ass! Has sitting in King Dedede's throne made you as much of a tightwad as he is?"

Riley took particular offense to that remark, "Gerard Collins would have done it for less."

"Yes, and look what happened to him!" Dusk pointed out, "You and I both know that Meta Knight alone is worth half a million at the very least. I wont do it for under a million!"

Riley balked at the sudden raise in price. The nerve of this slimy bounty hunter!

"You agreed to the before mentioned price!"

"Yes, milady, but then I came to my senses!" Dusk snorted, painfully shifting his injured wing.

Damn that Meta Knight!

"What about the honor and glory of serving Holy Nightmare?" Riley questioned.

"Honor and Glory wont pay my bills... your ladyship." Dusk grunted, the last part of his statement sounding very forced.

Whether it was from the pain or the fact that he didn't think too highly of Riley, it was uncertain.

"What sort of bills would you have to pay?" Riley snorted.

"You would be surprised!" Dusk answered smoothly.

Both Dusk and Riley were momentarily distracted by some snickering from the shadows. Glasya, Lucifer, and Spitfire could be overheard, muttering amongst themselves.

"Bills. Yeah, for call girls, maybe." Lucifer muttered, his face twisting into a grin.

"That's the only way he's getting any..." Glasya added on, looking over her shoulder.

"I say, Miss Prescott, could you put some muzzles on your beasts?" Dusk sighed.

With a low warning growl, Riley pointed her staff at the three fiends. She returned to her conversation, satisfied by the quieted cowering of her minions.

"Where's your team?" she questioned, taking advantage of the situation to change the subject.

"Oh, a feast for crows and worms by now, I imagine," Dusk sighed, "I was lucky to escape. Sword beams, lightning bolts, bullets, I nearly had my wings ripped off and my insides spilled!"

"Just you wait till His Grace hears about this, he'll be livid, more so then he already is." Riley snapped.

This was just fantastic! Already she missed important transmissions now she had a greedy bounty hunter demanding a much higher price for his services.

"You do know that there are other bounty hunters out there that will deliver, right?" Riley asked. "And they wont change the price halfway through a job, either." she added, in a not so subtle hint of irritation.

Dusk only narrowed his fierce orange eyes. Whatever Riley was trying, it wasn't working. Dusk's true loyalty was to only one thing, himself. He only wore Nightmare's sigil because it served his purposes. Besides, he knew as well as she did. Those other bounty hunters she was talking about? Dead. Most of them by his own hand.

"GAAHHHH! Fine! A million then! Just do your job and don't call back until it's completed!" Riley snapped.

"You are too kind, Lady Prescott." Dusk purred, smoothly, with a polite bow.

Oh sure, now that he knew he was going to get what he wanted, suddenly Dusk changed his tune.

"Get yourself cleaned up!"

With a growl, Riley shut off the TV and sealed it back inside the castle walls.

"Prick!" she muttered to herself.

 **Author's Notes::** I spent a lot of time proofreading this one, since there's a lot going on and that three way chat that was going on was pretty fun, (albeit complex) to write. Garna's none to happy about being volunteered to pay for her past tormentor's research, but she'll do it anyway... because Sir Meta Knight is just SO polite! Meanwhile, the bad guys are having troubles of their own, which if you have actually ready the story, you would know exactly what it is.

Tokkori (I think that's how you spell it), get's a brief cameo, though his name is never mentioned in the actual story. Lucifer and Spitfire are having fun torturing him, and I must say, couldn't have happened to a nicer prick.

Dear lord, I HATE that stupid yellow bird. He's mean, nasty, and contributes nothing.

If you find that something is confusing or doesn't make sense, please let me know and I'll see if I can fix it.

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	16. Old Friends and Old Foes

In You're Nightmares, Old Friends and Old Foes

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Drinking and Gambling.

Since the weather conditions had been kind to Kirby's team, they were able to make it out of the bog ahead of schedule. Once back on the actual road, the group galloped as fast as they could, trying to put as much distance between themselves and the Ravenwing Bog Lunatic Asylum as they could. At least their new ally was hard at work, creating an army that they could send into battle against Nightmare's ever growing forces.

It wasn't certain exactly how far they had ridden or for how long, but around late afternoon the riders had passed the sight of their previous battle with Dusk and his team of brigands. One thing that was certain, the crows were enjoying the easy meal.

"It's getting dark, we'll need to set up camp soon." Tiff suggested, breaking the silence.

"I agree. I haven't slept in two days..." Geoffrey sighed.

They rode on a little further, nearly to the edge of the woods before stopping and setting up camp.

"Hey buddy, rise and shiver..." Geoffrey said, gently nudging the still sleeping Meta Knight.

The elder warrior blinked his golden eyes blearily. How long had he been asleep? He didn't really remember. With a grunt, Meta Knight leaped off of Gunner's back. He checked on Tiff and Kirby, who were resting by the fire Kautounie had started.

"There's just two more pieces on this planet, Kirby." Tiff mentioned, placing the third shard of the Star Rod on the piece she held.

Just like last time, the pieces melded together seamlessly and glowed brightly with power. Now the broken star had three of it's five points.

"Poyo, poyo, Tiff!" Kirby chirped, snuggling closer to his big sister.

Tiff wrapped an arm around the pink warrior, a smile of endearment on her face. Kirby actually said her name - her full name! He was starting to speak in a more intelligible manner.

"With Sundar as my witness, I told ya!" Geoffrey commented, earning a laugh from the delighted girl.

However Kirby's cute smile dropped and he looked much more serious when Meta Knight approached. Without being told, he spit up the Winterclaw and pointed to the large, open fields just outside the boundaries of the forest. That's what Meta Knight wanted, right? Sword practice?

"Poyo, Medi Kni? Swords?" Kirby asked.

He was tired and only wanted to eat a good meal and sleep, but he didn't want to disappoint his master either. However Meta Knight's words surprised Kirby.

"I appreciate your eagerness and attentiveness, my young warrior," the older warrior began, "but not tonight, little one. You have done more then enough these past few days. Rest now, all of you. I will keep watch."

"You are too kind, Sir Meta Knight." Kautounie yawned, curling up next to her friends by the fire.

While everyone gathered around the fire, Neo began weaving some sort of new spell, at least one Tiff hadn't seen her use before.

"What are you... doing Neo?" Tiff asked, through a yawn of her own.

"Well, we need to let mother know to expect company." Neo stated, after finishing the words to her spell.

When she was finished casting, small glints of light began to form and Neo held out her arm. The glittering light took the shape of a large, rusty colored great horned owl.

"It's... an owl..." Tiff said, quite bluntly.

"Not just any ordinary owl, a familiar." Geoffrey corrected, "An animal spirit summoned by a mage to serve as both companion and messenger."

"Her name if Talon. Be careful around her, she's a little snippy around strangers." Kautounie warned.

Talon stretched out her wings, hooting softly. It had been a while since she had been called upon by her mage. She looked up to Neo with her bright, golden eyes.

"Well then, what does my princess wish of me?" Talon asked, shifting from foot to foot and folding her wings back up.

"Talon, I need you to get a message to mother. Tell her to expect company within the next six to seven days. Sir Meta Knight's air ship, the Halberd, will need to make an emergency landing outside the Crimson Woods' boarders." Neo instructed.

The owl blinked up at Neo, tilting her head curiously.

"Meta Knight? What's a Meta Knight, my princess?"

"That's Sir Meta Knight, right there." Neo said, pointing to the tree where the blue warrior had decided to perch himself for his watch. "Sir Meta Knight is a friend of mother's, she'll know who you're talking about."

Talon eyed the navy blue puffball critically, but eventually decided that if her princess said that he was a friend, then that's the way it was. However her attention quickly jerked to Kirby once the smaller pink puffball wanted to take a closer look.

"Oh, oh my! That one there looks quite tasty!" Talon chided.

"Hey!" Tiff snapped, eyes narrowing.

"No, Talon! That's Kirby and he's my friend too!" Neo scolded. "The other one is Tiff, and she is also a friend."

Geoffrey and Kautounie just sighed, taking this all in stride. That was Neo's dear, sweet Talon for you.

The owl huffed softly, but if her princess was friends with these tasty tidbits, then she could be friends with them too. Whatever made Neo happy made her happy.

"Here you go, girl. Take a few of these for the road." Geoffrey said, tossing the owl a few chunks of raw leftover meat from dinner.

"Why thank you." Talon muttered, around a beak full of her treat, "But silly human, did you not know?" she asked, "I don't take the road, I take the skies."

The rogue only rolled his eyes, "Have a nice flight, Talon. Tell mom we said hi."

"Now then, my princess, I must be on my way. So many friends and friends of friends that mother needs to know about," Talon stated, lifting into the air with a few flaps of her wings, "I wonder if Meta Knight's friends are tasty too like the tiny pink one."

That last comment actually caused the elder warrior to break off his stare and turn his golden gaze to Talon. Boy wouldn't she be surprised.

"Be careful, Talon." Neo called.

The young zwetoock watched her familiar fly off into the night sky. Talon sure was a chatty bird, and to think she wasn't even a parrot. Chatty but loyal, and her loyalty is what counted. The owl was a reliable messenger. No matter where she was, Talon always knew how to find her way home and would always relay her princess' messages.

"She would never have tried to eat Kirby, Tiff. I wouldn't let her." Neo explained, seeing the untrusting look in Tiff's eye, "Besides, Talon thought Geoffrey would have been tasty when she first met him."

"And she was right, actually," Geoffrey mentioned, showing Tiff a small scar on his hand from where the eccentric bird had bitten him.

"Uhhhhh..." was all Tiff managed to get out.

And that was to do what now, again? To think, she thought nothing could surprise her anymore. But at least they could all take comfort in knowing that they would be able to let Alphess Tamoko know about the Halberd before the great warship landed in the Redsun's territory. Sundar only knows what would happen should Sword and Blade arrive with their boss' ship unannounced. With one slight problem solved, the group settled down for the night, under Meta Knight's watchful gaze.

Thankfully, the night was uneventful, peaceful even, despite the cold. Next morning was clear and bright with good conditions. If things kept up like this, they could make it back to Thea'or in no time flat. Once camp was packed up and the horses saddled, it was time to ride again, stopping to rest only when they needed to.

The next few days were mostly uneventful, save for Meta Knight's training sessions with Kirby and even Tiff. He worked the two of them hard, until they were ready to collapse from exhaustion. But it brought about a good opportunity to try out the new healing spell Dr. Knarks had gifted Neo and Tiff with, which worked very well, actually. Instead of having to heal team members one at a time, the Group Heal Spell would cure all allies in a certain radius.

Finally, late morning on the fourth day back from the bog found Kirby's team back in Thea'or. Snow was falling heavily now, covering the paved streets of the city in a fresh, new blanket of white. After boarding the horses, Geoffrey led the way back to his garage and basement hideout, where everyone could relax, recover, go through their findings, and get cleaned up after their adventure. With all the excitement of the asylum and their newest ally, Geoffrey had nearly forgotten about the treasures they had discovered within. (Almost forgotten, mind you.)

"Shower's free!" Neo announced, happily, running a towel through her now dark brown mane.

"I'm next!" Tiff exclaimed, before Kautounie or any of the others could speak up.

One thing for sure, Tiff was learning fast! While everyone took their turns getting washed up, Kautounie, Geoffrey, and Meta Knight went through the bag of jewels and coins Kirby and Meta Knight had discovered back in the asylum office. Most of it was ordinary. Valuable to the right buyers and pretty to look at. The coins, a fair deal of Gold Dragons and Silver Shanks along with Denden. It made sense for the mad doctor to have Dreamland's currency, Dr. Knarks had done business with Nightmare in the past, plus he had his own waddle dees. However one piece of jewelry that stood out was a silver ring that was in the shape of a ram's head, similar to one of the rings on Riley's hand.

"Poyo... sheep?" Kirby asked, curiously.

"Not sheep, kiddo. Goat." Geoffrey corrected, gazing at the ring Meta Knight was holding up.

Kautounie held out her hand and concentrated. Suddenly, the ring in Meta Knight's hand began to glow bright blue, as did a few other objects that were held by the travelers, including Geoffrey's main handgun and Matilda, though Galaxia was the brightest of them all.

"What are you doing?!" Meta Knight asked, slightly startled by the glowing light.

"I'm detecting magic, what does it look like?" Kautounie snorted, "The ring is obviously enchanted, but it will take time and study to determine all it's functions."

Just as Kautounie finished, Tiff had come out of the shower, curious about what everyone was looking at. Then she got quite a surprise when Wicked and the Star Rod piece she held began to glow bright blue as she approached Kautounie, the star piece glowing almost as bright as Galaxia was.

"What the-?!" Tiff started, wondering just what the heck was going on.

"Oh, sorry!" Kautounie said, apologetically, "I was just detecting magic and you sort of stepped into the spell's radius." she added, before canceling the spell out with a smile.

"Hey, maybe Tiff should take the ring," Neo suggested, as she changed her mane back to it's usual bright pink color with a wave of her hand.

"You want... me to have it?" Tiff asked, somewhat surprised, yet confused at the same time, "What's this about?"

"As an up and coming mage, it would do you quite well to learn about different magical items and their properties," Kautounie mused, "I think Neo's right."

Meta Knight and Geoffrey didn't look too certain. The human for one knew that Kautounie could detect magic, but not exactly what sort of magic or if it was beneficial in nature or a curse. But Tiff seemed more then happy to take the challenge and accepted the trinket from Meta Knight. She slipped the ring onto her finger, which formed to fit her hand perfectly, but nothing happened. Cautiously, she took it off. Well, at least now they knew for certain that it wasn't cursed. Cursed items could never be removed without a fight. But for now, it's properties remained a mystery.

The rest of the day was spent recovering from their journey. While Geoffrey and the girls cleaned their weapons, they had turned on the TV in the lounge. Some sort of B-grade horror movie was playing, though the three Redsuns were treating it more like a comedy. Occasionally, one of them would throw out a snide comment or crack a joke, even Meta Knight couldn't help but find this amusing as his eyes flashed pink briefly.

"They never look up!" Neo sighed, sitting back on the couch with a small jar of candy by her side.

"Say Neo, you wouldn't mind passing that my way, would you?" Meta Knight asked.

Neo didn't say anything, but she was more then willing to share with the elder warrior. Who'd have thought the stoic, chivalrous tough guy had a sweet tooth? Her thoughts drifted away from Meta Knight's weakness for candy and back to the movie, unable to pass up making another mockery of it.

"Oh come on, kiss already!" she shouted, earning some snickers from Kautounie and Geoffrey, and a startled look from Meta Knight.

"Take it off, take it off!" Geoffrey chanted, followed by a moan of disappointment. "Geez, TV movies always cut out the good parts!"

Tiff sighed and rolled her eyes. Television.

"You do know that television rots your brain, right?"

"Yeah, so does booze, but I still drink it." Geoffrey answered, earning some snickers from the zwetoock sisters.

Well, they weren't giving up their movie mockery, that was for sure. Instead, Tiff took a seat on the couch and gazed at the ring on her finger. She had to admit, it looked pretty cool, even though she had no idea what it did. The girl slid the ring off and looked at it from all angles. Faint, but visible, there was some writing inside the band.

 _"Aries"_ Tiff mouthed softly.

"Poyo, Tiff?" Kirby asked, cuddling up beside her.

"I'm not sure, Kirby. But we'll find out soon enough." Tiff answered, even though she was uncertain of what the pink puffball was really trying to say.

With a shrug, she placed the trinket back on her finger and settled into the soft cushions. Eventually, she and Kirby both fell asleep at the other end of the couch. Neo didn't seem to mind the fact that the girl's feet were propped up on her lap either. The zwetoock took it all in stride. Come evening though, Geoffrey and Meta Knight both tensed when something began to scratch at the door. Hearing the noise, Tiff and Kirby both roused from their sleep.

"What the hell?" Kautounie muttered, knowing full well Geoffrey had his abode protected by traps and entry codes.

The thief grabbed one of his guns off the table while Meta Knight drew Galaxia. When both were ready, Kautounie flung the door open with a wave of her hand. However, all their precautions were for not, as it was only Roaren that had come knocking.

"Oh, hi Roaren." Geoffrey greeted, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Of course Roaren would know how to get inside undetected! He and Garna would check in on the place from time to time while Geoffrey was out and about.

"Good to see you all made it back safely!" Roaren said, cheerfully, as he picked up a small parcel in his mouth before shambling down the stairs.

The small, gray wolfwrath set the package down on the table, amongst the guns and treasures, tail wagging happily.

Knowing that there was no danger, Meta Knight put Galaxia away.

"Hi Roaren, what brings you here?" Tiff asked, still tired from being woken from her nap, shifting herself into a sitting position, with an equally sleepy Kirby clinging to her lap.

"I'll make this quick. I came to drop these off for you guys. Garna would like all of you to come down to the club tomorrow night to discuss a few things." Roaren explained.

Meta Knight opened the package Roaren had dropped on the table, revealing six V.I.P. passes with the Knight Club's logo on the front for each of them. Kautounie and Neo gratefully accepted their passes, chatting with each other excitedly. They had wanted to go since they saw that the place was up and running.

"May as well mix business with pleasure." Geoffrey shrugged, storing his pass safely away in his coat. "Thanks, Roaren."

Geoffrey strode into the kitchen, taking a steak out of the fridge and tossing it to Roaren. It was only polite to tip your delivery man, after all. The wolfwrath greedily devoured the treat, wagging his tail happily.

"And thank you, Geoffrey! Well, that's all." Roaren announced, taking his leave, "See you all tomorrow night!"

The wolfwrath bounded out of the basement and up the stairs, closing the door behind him.

"Poyo, Roaren...?" Kirby chided, looking after where Roaren had gone.

"Well... this means one thing..." Kautounie sighed.

"What is that?" Meta Knight asked, curiously.

"We've got to go shopping, of course! We can't go clubbing dressed like this."

Geoffrey sighed inwardly. Great, girls and shopping. But, it would be a good opportunity to try and get some money for the jewelry plus the hand ax that they had found. Tonight was for resting, but tomorrow, it was back to work. There was a good time to get ready for!

 **IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~**

The next day, after breakfast of course, Tiff left with Neo and Kautounie to explore the city, restock traveling supplies, and mix in some pleasure while they were at it. Meanwhile, the guys, Geoffrey, Meta Knight, and Kirby, had sold off the jewels and hand ax for a decent enough profit. Not as much as Geoffrey would have liked, but Meta Knight was quick to step in when the rogue took the art of haggling to a whole new level. Let's just say that the old veteran didn't want to be there all day.

At late afternoon, nearly evening, both groups met up back at Geoffrey's basement apartment. Tiff was talking with the sisters in a hushed voice with a shy expression on her face.

"Go ahead, show them..." Neo encouraged, glancing over her shoulder.

"Well, alright..." Tiff sighed, waving her hand in a somatic gesture.

In the blink of an eye, Tiff was now wearing a nice new set of mage robes that were the same shades of green and pink as her old outfit, but much more refined. The long sleeves and hem were trimmed with gold stars. Wicked was now in a sheath of it's own on the belt around Tiff's waist. She wore a small gold circlet around her head. Finishing Tiff's new look was a flowing white cloak. Her face turned a bit red when Geoffrey, Meta Knight, and Kirby saw her like this.

"Looks good, Tiff!" Geoffrey complemented. "You look like a mage."

Kirby approved of the new look as well, as he hastily bounded to her side and began to snuggle into her cape, purring contently. Naturally, Meta Knight found this highly entertaining. Perhaps Kirby would leave his cape alone for a while.

Kautounie and Neo had also dressed for the occasion. The older of the two sisters was wearing a black and silver two piece outfit with lots of colorful feathers in her mane and ornate tribal jewelry. Neo was wearing a different set of forest green mage robes, trimmed in gold and just like her sister, had many brightly colored feathers in her bright pink mane.

"We're ready, how about you boys?" Kautounie asked, putting on her winter cloak.

Geoffrey simply dusted off his shoulders and nodded while Meta Knight just wrapped his navy cape around himself.

"I think we're good!" Geoffrey claimed.

"Poyo, poyo, Tiff!" Kirby babbled, quite happily.

"Men..." Neo sighed, rolling her eyes.

Before they left, Meta Knight took Kirby aside.

"There's more to being a knight then just fighting, young one." Meta Knight explained, as the two of them watched Geoffrey take Kautounie's arm to escort her, "A Star Warrior is expected to be courteous and dignified at all times, especially at social gatherings."

Of course, chivalry was important for a knight, both on and off the battlefield. Learning from Geoffrey's example and with some encouragement from his mentor, Kirby approached Tiff, offering the girl his stubby pink arm. Smiling brightly, Tiff accepted. He may have been half her size, but it was a cute gesture.

"Well then?" Neo asked, glancing to Meta Knight.

With a smirk concealed beneath his mask, the elder warrior offered his arm to the younger zwetoock. For once, Neo was quite happy that she was shorter then her sister, and shot a smile to Kautounie. Though it was still a bit strange, since Neo was still twice Sir Meta Knight's height. But, after a week of traveling and killing monsters, they had earned a night out on the town.

*The Knight Club*

Even this early in the evening, the line outside the Knight Club was quite long. Already a few drunkards had been cast back into the snowy street by the large lizardmen bouncers at the front, and a few people in line were arguing with them. (Which really isn't the brightest idea, mind you.) Thankfully, Kirby and his team didn't have to put up with any of that. They simply walked right to the front of the line and showed their V.I.P. badges.

"Go right in. Niccccce to ssssee you here to enjoy the club, Geoffrey, ladiesssssss... and... oh, Ssssstar Warriorssssss too." the lizardman hissed, flicking his forked tongue. "We love Ssssstar Warriorsssssss..."

"Thank you, my good man." Geoffrey said as he and his party entered.

Naturally there was some complaining from the other people standing in line, but Geoffrey didn't care. It felt nice to go through the front door for the first time in a while. The last time he had gone through the front, the Knight Club was little more then a shut down dive, void off all life. Now it was vivid and vibrant, with bright lights, upbeat music, dancing, and best of all, a never ending flow of drinks, gold dragons, and silver shanks.

"Wow, this place is awesome!" Neo gasped, taking a look around.

"Poyo, poyo, Tiff!" Kirby agreed, intrigued by all the sights.

To the right hand side was a huge bar, seating many soldiers and off duty members of the city garrison. How ironic that the guardsmen of Thea'or liked to hang out in a club run by an assassin. The TV screens over the bar showed a few different sports, mostly gladiatorial combats or racing. To the left was a small, open lounge and a casino, dealing in exotic card and dice games. A little further down were some curtained off areas, the private lounges, possibly. But to the back of the club was where most of the action was taking place. Over the sound of the music at the front of the Knight Club, several shouts and cheers could be heard by the well dressed patrons as they watched a live gladiatorial spectacle first hand.

There was an arena in the back of the Knight Club, where any willing patron could enter and test their combat skills in an anything goes match against each other in non-lethal battles. It was a mid-sized pit style of arena, big enough for two fighters to square off, with seating all around the edges, like a miniature colosseum. Mounted on the wall was an electronic scoreboard and tier of the different challengers fighting in the arena at that time. Naturally, there was much money changing hands in between the different fights.

"She really went all out, didn't she?" Meta Knight mused.

Suddenly, Kautounie tapped on Geoffrey's shoulder and pointed. There, sitting in the most luxurious ringside seat was Garna Riverdale, stroking Roaren as the wolfwrath sat by her side. She cheered with the rest of the patrons as an armored man was flung to the ground by his large, lizardman opponent, and rushed out by the healers that had been waiting nearby. Geoffrey and the girls knew this particular reptile. He was one of Garna's top ranking thugs and had given many of Nightmare's soldiers quite a scare. But when his next opponent stepped inside, the anxious crowd began screaming with delight. Even more shocking, Meta Knight, Kirby, and Tiff all knew this person.

He looked like a childish elf, with spiky blonde hair and a white headband with a red gem set into it. He wore a blue bodysuit with white gloves.

"Knuckle Joe?!" Tiff questioned. "What's he doing here?!"

"You know that kid?" Kautounie questioned.

Tiff nodded. He was the son of Sir Jecra, a Star Warrior that had battled alongside Meta Knight long ago during the wars. Knuckle Joe also happened to be a very good friend of Kirby's.

"Poyo, poyo, Joe!" Kirby called, waving his small pink hand in the hopes that his friend would see him.

Judging by the confident smirk on Knuckle Joe's face when he looked up to his adoring crowd, he spotted the three familiar faces amongst his screaming fans.

"We love you, Knuckle Joe!" shouted some random woman, who appeared to be intoxicated.

Suddenly, the bell rang and the fight was on. The lizardman thug rushed into the battle, fighting like a demon beast. He swung with his claws then attempted to trip Knuckle Joe with his tail, but Joe was quick, and dodged every strike.

"Damn, he's good. Hang on one second." Geoffrey muttered, disappearing into the crowd momentarily.

Kautounie opened her mouth to protest, but was distracted when the lizardman was knocked back from Knuckle Joe's Vulcan Jab. The thug was dazed, but not out of the fight just yet.

Geoffrey returned a short while later, but without an explanation of what he was up too.

The battle only lasted a short while longer. Knuckle Joe was taken by surprise from a tail lash, but he recovered, answering back with a roundhouse kick. He went in for another Vulcan Jab, but the lizardman held up his clawed hands in defeat and yielded, ending the battle. The healers helped the lizardman up to his feet, and both fighters shook hands before leaving the arena.

"Wow, he beat that lizard..." Tiff muttered, her voice drowned out by the screaming crowd.

"Yes! Haha!" Geoffrey snickered, a triumphant smile on his face.

Once the arena was cleared and closed down for cleaning and repairs, the crowds dissipated back into the main part of the Knight Club, leaving Garna and Roaren to approach Kirby's team more privately.

"I'm glad you all could make it!" she exclaimed, "So what do you think?"

"Impressive, I'll say." Meta Knight admitted.

"I like what you've done to the place Garna," Kautounie said, "Drinking, dancing, gambling, pit fighting..."

"Don't forget fine dining." Garna intervened, eying each of her V.I.P.s in turn.

"Speaking of gambling..." Geoffrey said, before sneaking off into the crowd once again.

Tiff sighed and rolled her eyes. Sometimes, it was better not to question the rogue, but it would have been nice if he let them know where he was going. Now he was really beginning to remind her more of Meta Knight! But then something else caught her attention. Kirby was missing! With all the distractions and excitement, he had simply wondered off.

"Meta Knight, Kirby's disappeared!" Tiff shouted, over the noise of the club.

The elder Star Warrior looked around in a panic. Just like that little puffball to get a whiff of something and take off. But he relaxed, only a little, when Geoffrey returned, placing a hand on his shoulder guard.

"Don't panic, I saw the little guy heading into one of those private rooms." Geoffrey sighed.

"Probably Knuckle Joe's V.I.P. lounge. I told him you all were coming." Garna mentioned, leading the way through the crowds. "From what I understand, he and Kirby go back a little. Good friends, those two."

"Told him? What? How long has he been here?" Tiff asked, "What is he doing here?"

"Why ask me when you can ask him yourself?"

She knocked on the door once before entering. It was a nicely furnished room with a full bar, large TV set, and roaring fireplace. Sure enough, Knuckle Joe was sitting on the couch closest to the fireplace, catching up with Kirby.

"It sure has been a while Kirby." Knuckle Joe said, rubbing under his nose with his hand.

Kirby mimicked the gesture, in his usual cute way, causing his friend to smirk. The two looked up when Garna and the rest came into the lounge and closed the door. Tiff and Meta Knight still couldn't believe their eyes. Just what was Knuckle Joe doing on Horva?

"Hey ya Tiff, Meta Knight! Long time no see!" Knuckle Joe called, waving them over, "Who are your other friends?"

Upon his request, Garna, being a good (albeit crazy) hostess, introduced the Redsuns to Knuckle Joe.

"Well, the human there is my Second in Command, Guild Lieutenant Geoffrey, and the two zwetoocks are Kautounie and Neo Redsun."

All three Redsuns made their usual zwetoock greeting towards Knuckle Joe politely.

"I must say, I already like this guy," Geoffrey said.

"You do, huh?" Knuckle Joe inquired.

"Yeah. Thanks to you, I've got an extra hundred gold dragons in my pocket."

So that's what he was sneaking off to do! Making bets, just like the rogue.

After introductions had been made and everyone settled in, they got right down to business first. Certainly, Knuckle Joe's Dreamlander friends wanted to know what exactly he was doing on this planet, and how he found Garna. Well, as it turns out, the crazy little thief actually found him, two days ago. She was always willing to help out a Star Warrior in need, so she let him stay in the club. The thief had told Knuckle Joe about his friends from Dreamland returning from a previous trip, and suggested he wait for them. Apparently Knuckle Joe had heard some rumors that an old arch enemy of his had been reconstructed and set loose on this planet, but he knew he'd need some help taking this thing down.

"Kirby, you remember Masher 2.0, right?" Knuckle Joe asked.

Kirby nodded.

"Don't tell me that thing has been rebuilt again..." Tiff sighed.

"Again?" Neo inquired, not liking the sound of that word.

Again. That implied that this was not the first time that this had happened. She needed a drink, thankfully she was in the right place for that.

"Sorry Tiff, I hate to disappoint ya..." Knuckle Joe grunted, "It's back. Bigger and stronger then before."

"So could Masher 2.0 be Riley's next General?" Kautounie mused.

"Could be, I haven't been able to dig up much, lately." Garna started. "Nightmare is starting to wise up, methinks. Hmph, took him long enough."

"Not to sound like a total idiot, but what exactly is this Masher guy?" Geoffrey asked.

Upon hearing Meta Knight's and Joe's description of the beast, Geoffrey felt like he'd have better luck going for another round with Dr. Knarks' owlbears. A gigantic mechanical beast that is near impervious to all form of normal attack? This Masher 2.0 sounded nasty!

"Hmph, sounds like a walking garbage can to me," Kautounie snorted, "we can take him!"

"Last I heard, Masher was spotted in a small town west of here called Harmony." Knuckle Joe explained.

Harmony. Great. A quaint little town in the Serpent's Eye Desert that was anything but it's namesake. But they couldn't let this thing run on a rampage, plus there was the matter of retrieving that fourth star piece, and they didn't have much in the way of leads at this point in time.

"Poyo... help Joe, poyo?" Kirby asked, with pleading eyes.

"Looks like we will be going to Harmony, it seems." Meta Knight said, indefinitely.

"It's a little pile of dust out in the desert." Kautounie pointed out. "I can't say for sure how long of a journey it will be."

"You forgot rocks!" Garna quipped, looking to Kautounie with some disappointment.

How could she forget about the rocks? Kautounie only rolled her eyes. This sort of thing happened when Garna skipped a dose of her medication. Wait a sec, what medication? Still, there were a few more unanswered questions.

"But why the pit fighting, Joe?" Tiff asked, "I thought you said Garna was helping you!"

"Nah, I've just been doing that for fun. To keep my skills sharp." the little fighter shrugged. "With Nightmare back, I can't afford to go soft, right Kirby?"

Kirby nodded, then looked back to his mentor, who sat in silence. At least they had their next mission ahead of them now. Naturally, Tiff's growing shard of the Star Rod would lead them in the right direction.

"Garna, what about the Halberd and her crew?" Meta Knight asked, suddenly breaking the quiet.

Garna smirked playfully.

"I've been keeping an eye on her, been making sure Nightmare's tracking systems get bogus info, or sitcoms... I think he's on the fifth season of South Park right now."

Everyone in the room got a good laugh out of that. Garna was certainly a pro at what she did. Neo was also quick to explain that she had sent a message to Alphess Tamoko, so that the Redsuns would be expecting Meta Knight's war ship.

"I know you're worried, Sir Meta Knight. The Halberd's practically your baby, but I'll keep you updated, mon Captain!"

"I've got some gizmos back in the rec room we can take with, keep in touch with Garna, Meta Knight's boys in green armor, and dare I say," Geoffrey began.

"Please don't..." Garna moaned.

"Dr. Knarks." he finished.

Garna growled at Geoffrey. Even Roaren whimpered and covered his face with his two front paws. But then the halfling assassin sighed and gave it up. She was already sending a hefty sum of her money to the mad scientist, (well, Nightmare's money, actually.)

"We're all on the same side now, Garna. Whether we like it or not." Meta Knight sighed.

Details, details, details. One thing that could always ruin a good time. Back to the business at hand however. The draconian doctor was on their side. Masher 2.0 was not.

"So then, what do ya say we team up together and go hunt Masher down?" Knuckle Joe suggested.

"It will be very dangerous." Tiff warned.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Kautounie asked, standing up from her seat. "Welcome aboard, Knuckle Joe!"

"Poyo, Joe!" Kirby cheered, delighted to have an old friend join him for their next adventure.

They had been discussing business for too long now, as far as Garna was concerned. It was time to enjoy the rest of the evening. They had their plans set, plus a new member. Kautounie quickly quieted any more talk of business by handing everyone in the private lounge a drink.

"Holy shit, what the hell is this?!" Geoffrey asked, after taking a sip of the mystery concoction handed to him.

Tiff nearly had the same reaction as Geoffrey. Whatever this stuff was, it felt as though she had just set her mouth on fire.

"Fire wine, of course." Neo answered, draining her entire glass with a single gulp, "Sometimes referred to as Dragon's Nectar. Good stuff!"

"It's a warrior's drink!" Kautounie bragged.

How the two of them could down a glass of this stuff in a single mouthful was beyond comprehension. Usually Dragon's Nectar was used more so as a prank rather then drinking wine. But zwetoocks loved the stuff. Geoffrey was more of a rum or whiskey guy.

"What do you say you all enjoy the fine qualities my club has to offer?" Garna suggested, letting Roaren drink the fire wine out of her glass, "Sadly for me, work must intervene."

Which job she was getting back to work too still remained a mystery, though if anyone had to guess, it was more then likely the business she didn't flaunt around.

"See ya, boss lady." Geoffrey said, waving a lazy hand after the thief and her wolfwrath.

Taking Garna's suggestion, the group left the private lounge and headed back onto the main floor.

The service in the Knight Club was excellent. Garna had left nothing to chance, and even had special ordered some foods familiar to the Dreamlanders just for them that she thought they might enjoy. Kirby's eyes lit up at the sight of several juicy watermelons that had been brought in just for him. Those couldn't have been easy to get a hold of, at this time of year anyway. But Kirby was more then delighted as he swallowed one of the melons whole.

"Hey Kirby, what do you say for old time sake, you and I enter the arena together?" Knuckle Joe suggested. "You and I can have a little sparing match against each other!" he added, nudging his pink buddy with his elbow.

Although right now he was focused on eating, Kirby did think about Knuckle Joe's offer to battle him in the arena. He swallowed a mouthful of food, then glanced to Meta Knight, who had somehow been managing to slip bites of food under his mask when no one was looking.

"I think it would be good for you, Kirby." Meta Knight encouraged, "Go for it."

Once dinner was finished, the group enjoyed the sights and services of the Knight Club. Exotic drinks, entertainment, and of course, gambling. Geoffrey and Meta Knight proved to be quite skilled at the card tables. Geoffrey couldn't be entirely certain, but he could have sworn Meta Knight had been card counting while they played 21. Not a detail slipped by that old knight. Neo and Kautounie meanwhile, introduced Tiff to a game of Dice and Bones that originated from the Redsun pack long ago. Kirby and Knuckle Joe were content to sit back and relax.

About fifteen minutes before the fighting arena opened up, Knuckle Joe and Kirby were both called backstage by the loudspeakers. They were looking forward to fighting side by side on their next adventure, but it would be interesting to see how much their powers had gained in strength by fighting against each other.

Already, the news that crowd favorite, Knuckle Joe, and the Star Warrior Kirby were going to be appearing in the arena that night spread through the Knight Club like wildfire.

"Show's going to start soon." Neo mentioned, watching the crowds migrate towards the back of the club.

"We better get down there." Geoffrey said, collecting his winnings from the card table.

"For seats?" Tiff asked.

"No... bets of course..."

Thankfully, V.I.P. passes came in very useful for getting good seats. The V.I.P. booth was where Garna had been sitting earlier and had a perfect view of the arena below. Once the pictures of the evening's matches flashed on the screens hanging on the wall, the crowd screamed with delight. Naturally, the fights between city guards were fun to watch. Lizardmen or zwetoocks, even better. But everyone was anxiously awaiting the hand to hand duel of Kirby vs. Knuckle Joe.

 **Author's Notes::** Alrighty then, what have we here? Quick rundown. We have our first meeting with Neo's familiar, Talon, a chatty bird that's just... odd, but reliable. Once back home, our heroes find that "The Boss Lady" has invited them to spend a night in her club. I figured after a dungeon crawl, the guys and ladies deserved a fun night out. But wait! What's this? Knuckle Joe has joined the brawl!

And before any of you start with any "ZOMG, OMG, Minors drinking and gambling! Shame, Hyena, shame!", just keep this in mind. Here on Earth, we may have a legal drinking/gambling age of 21, but lets not forget, they ain't on Earth. So ha! Besides, it's called the "Free City", rules are pretty loose there. Thank you, your understanding in appreciated but not expected.

I also couldn't resist having that small homage to MST3K in there. Gosh how I love mocking movies, especially the ones that are asking to be mocked!

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	17. Bread and Circuses

In You're Nightmares, Bread and Circuses

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Some Mild Drunken and Disorderly Conduct by Rabid Fangirls.

'Ah, it feels good to be home after a long dungeon crawl. More so, quite an interesting turn of events, as of late. An old friend of Kirby's has been waiting for us in the Boss Lady's night club, the Knight Club. (Yeah, don't even try to figure out her logic, you'll only hurt your brain.) Knuckle Joe is his name, and I must say, I like this tough and tenacious little guy already.'

The Thoughts of Geoffrey 'Redsun' Collins

'Well, a day or two more, and the Halberd should make a safe landing outside the boarders of my pack's territory and the crew can get to work putting her back in prime working condition. But I can't help but wonder what's up with this Masher 2.0 Knuckle Joe had mentioned. Is this thing Riley's next general, or simply a foot soldier? Even Garna doesn't know. Oh well, sounds like it would be one hell of a fight!'

The Thoughts of Kautounie Redsun

'Hmhmhm, as stoic and cold as everyone perceives me, even I can't help but feel happy and relived that I will be reunited with my two loyal knaves and beloved ship. I just can't let the others know, I have a reputation to keep up.'

The Thoughts of Sir Meta Knight

'Nice try, Meta Knight. We've all seen you with Kirby! Somehow I always knew you had a heart under that cold exterior! Anyway, things have really taken an interesting turn. To think, two weeks ago I was just an ordinary girl. Well, maybe not ordinary... exactly. But now, I'm an apprentice mage. Perhaps one of these days, I'll even become a Star Warrior like Kirby and Meta Knight!'

The Thoughts of Tiff Ebrum

'Gee, I sure hope Talon got our message to mother. I'd hate to see her reaction when the scouts report a 'large metal dragon' landing outside the forest without much prior warning. Too late to worry about that now! We've got our next mission in line, and I've got a nagging feeling this one is going to be way more difficult then the last one. So far, we haven't actually faced any of Riley's generals yet.'

The Thoughts of Neo Redsun

'Poyo!'

The Thoughts of Kirby

'Seriously, kiddo? That's it?'

The Need to get in the Last Word, Geoffrey Collins

*Holy Nightmare's Game Board*

The gigantic wraith lord weighed his options before selecting his next move. Already an unnamed human and a giant were out of the game. (So much for Riley's fierce and powerful guardians!) In an unexpected turn of events, Dr. Knarks had joined forces with the Star Warriors instead of against them. But Holy Nightmare was not worried. As long as he had his shard of the Star Rod, he was safe from harm. Speaking of the Star Rod, Kirby and his team had collected three of the seven pieces already. The demon smirked inwardly to himself, they were that much closer to delivering him his full prize now. Honestly, had they learned nothing from their lesson with Riley? The witch was right, those kids were easily manipulated.

One slightly annoying detail however was the Halberd. His loyal minions were having trouble tracking the great battleship. Every time they tried, all they would pick up was some sort of cutely animated albeit vulgar sitcom. Nightmare sighed heavily, glaring at Garna's piece on the massive chessboard. For once he would like to be a step ahead of that little twit.

"I think you've been playing to nice, you're Grace." Riley commented, striding around one of the broken pieces to approach the wraith.

"What are you doing here, Riley?" Nightmare hissed. "I don't recall inviting you."

"I'm half demon, your Grace." Riley said, "I know where to find my brethren."

Nightmare only scowled. He for one did not consider himself 'her brethren', he was above that. Next time, she would do well to ask his permission. Riley bowed politely, then quickly changed the subject.

"Hmph, nice to see that little shit, Knuckle Joe, has joined in on the fun..." Riley sighed, trailing her finger across the fighting elf's piece on the board, "I do believe you were acquainted with his father."

"You could say that." Nightmare growled, prodding Kirby's figure with a boney finger, growing agitated when the piece refused to budge.

Just as it was, so many years ago. Neither Kirby's nor Meta Knight's pieces would move by his touch. Riley gently placed her own hand on Nightmare's, in an effort to calm the deity down.

"Remember, it's just a game." she purred with a smirk.

"A fun game! At least it's been fun so far!" piped in a smaller voice, that of Riley's little sister, Fey.

The little hellion skipped across the game board, giggling, while Weston trailed behind in silence.

"Yes, a game. A game that I have been far to lenient against my opponents!" Nightmare hissed, picking up a few broken pieces off the board and throwing them away.

"Then lets escalate our attack strategy. You already have Pop Star, and it's not as if any of these other space rocks will put up too much of a fight. Go for Horva next," Riley suggested, "I know it's a bit out of the way, but that shouldn't be a problem for you."

The wraith lord thought for a moment, flicking his large, clawed hand out of Riley's and stroked his chin. Horva would make a powerful addition to his empire, especially if he could flush out the planet's remaining dragons and ensnare them for his already growing army. But there was just one thing he wasn't too sure about.

"If you're worried about the so-called "Great Dragon"," Riley began, making quote marks in the air with her hands while rolling her eyes, "Don't be! The Gods of Horva, Sundar included, are not allowed to interfere in the affairs of mortals. Look at all the shit I've gotten away with."

"You have a point..." Nightmare muttered, a smile forming on his face.

"Besides, you've got many loyal and brave followers on Horva. You're worshiped as a deity down there! There are cults dedicated to you, as you well know." Fey giggled.

She ought to know, she started Nightmare's most well-known occult on Horva, the Order of Holy Nightmare.

"But you are not bound by the laws of those other deities!" Riley added.

"Perhaps a word from their lord and master will be all it will take to have them rise to full force." Weston suggested.

Yes, yes. It was true. He had been playing far to soft, it was time to get really nasty. With a flap of his cloak, Nightmare pointed his bony finger at an empty spot on the board, summoning the likeness of Masher 2.0. Riley mentally praised herself, having remade the powerful monster with her magic, removing a few of it's minor flaws.

"My lord, if they think the Masher is bad, just wait until they get a load of his handler." Riley muttered, running her hand along the Masher's stone figurine.

Weston remained stoic and silent, while Fey cackled happily.

"By the way, how's my Chimera coming along?" Riley asked, nonchalantly.

"Oh, that all depends, Milady. How's my Warp Star coming along?" Nightmare asked in a taunting matter, that told the half-demoness he knew exactly how it was going, but was just trying to tick her off, knowing she wouldn't dare try anything to stop his from doing so.

Without a word and only a huff, Riley turned on her heel, collecting her siblings, and left the wraith alone to contemplate his game. Nightmare muttered to himself, moving one of his pieces to a different space on the board. Sure, Riley was useful, and she had brought him back from death, but something was telling him way back in his mind that he couldn't fully trust the witch.

"Usually Customer Service would handle this crap..." Nightmare grumbled.

IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~

"Honestly, sis, were you putting moves on his Grace?" Weston asked, once they were far enough away to avoid being overheard by the great demon lord.

"None of your business, brother." Riley growled.

"He may be our chosen deity, but I think he's a little old for you!" Fey chimed in.

Riley glowered, stammering with indignity. How would they know? They were far too young to understand, well, Fey was, anyway. Regardless, she wouldn't dignify her brother or sister with an answer and simply summoned their manifested forms back inside her own body as she reentered the halls of Castle Prescott.

 _'What gives now, sissy?'_ Fey asked.

"I've got some calls to make." Riley stated, turning sharply into the throne room, shooing Glasya out of the throne before sitting down herself.

The Alpha Female gave Riley a harsh glare, (when she was sure Riley was looking the other way, of course.) Apparently her mistress wasn't too concerned, she had much more important things to worry about at this time.

Riley pressed one of the buttons that formed on the arm of the throne and waited as the massive monitor screens flipped out of their concealed places from inside the castle walls. She knew she couldn't linger for too long, just in case any sort of resistance was listening in, especially that little twit Garna. Hastily, the witch tapped a few of the other keys, breathing a heavy sigh.

An image flickered onto the screen. It was the interior of a relatively small cockpit of sorts, with two seats. One, the pilot's seat, was just roomy enough for it's occupant. He appeared to be a tall handsome man wearing black leather armor and flowing cape. The key words being, 'appeared to be' and 'tall'. One look to his companion on the left told a different story. The plate mail armored knight crammed into the copilot seat was absolutely hulking, bigger then Weston! Had it not been for the slack jawed expression of pure cluelessness on the human's face, he could have been even more threatening then Riley's brother. Upon closer inspection of the smaller occupant, it was apparent that he was in fact a member of the same race as Garna. (A halfling.)

"I put it on video, that way they wont see you!" said the human, his voice just as slack as his expression, in the sort of way that showed that he had no idea Riley could in fact actually see his every move and hear every word.

"Bruno you idiot! Video means they CAN see us! Why I ought to – oh...OH, Riley Prescott!" the halfling stammered.

At first he sounded fast paced and obnoxious, though it quickly shifted into that of respect and possibly infatuation, once he realized Riley was watching him.

"Oh Riley, Riley, Riley, you know how much I love tall women and-and, would you go out with me?"

"Zip it, Ronic, I don't have much time!" Riley growled, narrowing her eyes dangerously.

The halfling, evidently named Ronic, immediately shut up and was at full attention. Bruno still appeared to be pondering the exact difference between audio and video. That one was none to bright, it seemed.

"You must have gotten my little... present." Riley said, unconsciously twirling her own Star Piece around her fingers.

Ronic dug around in the satchel he carried at his side, showing the gorgeous she-devil the glimmering piece of the Star Rod. It was one of the two parts of the wand handle.

"A gift like this... form you, I ought to keep closer to my heart I should think..." Ronic sighed.

Riley only scowled and rolled her eyes. Meanwhile, she could hear Weston and Fey laughing it up in the back of her subconscious.

"Have your soldiers at the ready, be on alert! There's an adventuring group down there on Horva that will stop at nothing to reclaim that little gem I sent you."

Naturally, Riley was not about to tell him that SHE sent said adventuring group down there in the first place. Only in the hopes of sending THEM to their deaths, of course.

"I thought you sent him part of a wand or something..." Bruno said, scratching his head before searching the small cockpit for any sign of a dropped gemstone.

Riley struggled to keep herself calm. She had to use simpler English around Bruno. That man had done the impossible, he actually made King Dedede look somewhat intelligent.

"Don't you worry, you're ladyship! They will never take me alive!" Ronic shouted in triumph.

"They're not planning to, you moron..." Riley snorted, causing Ronic to glance around nervously with an embarrassed look on his face, "Your two coworkers, Jared and Felderon, are already dead!"

"So that's why those assholes never returned my calls! How dare they! They ran up my phone bill and this whole time they were dead! Those bastards!"

Ronic was beyond outraged, as he began flailing about wildly, whacking his armored companion in his fit, causing him to curse and shout even more. It was like watching a live action version of one of Dedede's very poorly written (not to mention poorly acted) sitcoms on Channel DDD. (Thank the Gods she and Nightmare took that crap off the air.)

"Dead huh? That's a shame." Bruno muttered, heedless of Ronic's semi-intentional beating he was receiving, "well uh... milady, we will let you know if there is any change in their condition."

"You do that..." Riley sighed, "Be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary. You're going to be up against a few Star Warriors, sorceresses, and a gun nut. Are you up for the task, in the name of His Grace, Holy Nightmare?"

"What? Who the hell is Holy Nightmare?" Ronic asked.

Riley had a stunned look on her face, "You wear his sigil, you idiot! He's our lord and master, brought back from the dead! Hell. YOU WORSHIP HIM!"

Ronic scoffed. So that's what the shady symbol on his armor and cape was all about. Suddenly it all made sense.

"Oh! Right! That Holy Nightmare! I knew that. But for you, you're ladyship, I'd go all the way to the ends of the universe for you!" he sighed.

"Right, Don Wuhan, right." Riley muttered, looking down to the arm of her throne.

"We work for Nightmare?" Bruno asked, "How come is it I never get a paycheck then?"

Bruno's question went unanswered for the time being.

"I've got to leave you two to your own devices for now. Watch your step, do not underestimate who and what you're up against!" Riley warned, "Guard the treasure I gave you with your life."

With those last words, she went to cancel the connection before any nosy eavesdroppers could pick up the transmission.

"Very well, my lady Riley, I-!" Ronic started, just before he lost picture and got nothing but static.

*Ronic and Bruno*

The little halfling stammered, mortified as the connection fizzled out of existence. He tapped on the screen a few times, muttering very quickly to himself.

"I never got to tell her... that I love her..."

"What devices was she talking about leaving us too?" Bruno asked, face frowned in thought.

"GAHHHH!" was Ronic's only response.

*Riley, Throne Room*

From Riley's end, the witch let out an exasperated groan as she slumped down in her chair. She thought that little gremlin would never quit talking. Maybe it would be better if the Star Warriors killed him and put Ronic out of her misery.

"Why do you do this, Riley?" Glasya asked, "Ronic may be a fool, but he is loyal to you."

"He's also expendable, but a useful piece in this little game for the time being," Riley answered, "Nightmare's running the show, I'm just helping him out now."

Hmph, a likely story. Glasya turned her mismatched gaze away from her mistress, looking down to her paws. She sighed heavily, just because she couldn't see them, didn't mean that the chains weren't there. Riley had called Ronic expendable. Expendable, just like Alpha Balor had been. While Riley was focused elsewhere, the Alpha Hell Hound glanced up from the floor, eyes narrowing into a glare.

*The Knight Club, Pit Fighting Arena*

Backstage and hidden from view of the general public, the registered fighters anxiously waited for their chance to go into the arena. Knuckle Joe and Kirby were waiting in separate rooms, awaiting their names to be called. Already the muffled noise of the fight announcer, cheering crowd, blows being dealt and received, and cries of pain and cries of triumph echoed through the club. Kirby and the other occupants of the room would watch in silence as healers would occasionally rush past, hauling off injured combatants to the small infirmary towards the back left hand side of the building. Kirby mentally reminded himself that these fights were not to the death, they were like training battles. Like the ones he and Meta Knight would have. Naturally, the tiny pink puffball got some odd stares from his fellow warriors. While they were anxiously making battle strategies and pumping themselves up, little Kirby simply dozed off, freeing himself of any anxiety and fear he may have been feeling.

One by one they were called into the arena. Some came back, smiling with triumph, others came back bruised and bleeding, but victorious, while others were carried towards the back by the healers. Finally, the time had come. It was the last match of this lineup, the one everyone had been waiting for. Knuckle Joe may have been Kirby's friend, but he wasn't about to go easy on him. Kirby wouldn't expect Knuckle Joe to be soft on him. Besides, he wanted to make Meta Knight and the others proud. Once his name was called, the small but tough warrior blinked blearily, wiped the sleep from his eyes, yawned once, then trotted to the doors, awaiting entrance into the pit.

"Alright everyone, get ready for the last fight of this evening!" announced a familiar voice.

Apparently Roaren was announcing the fights this time around. The small wolfwrath was wearing a headset, designed especially for him.

"Don't let his small size and cuddly appearance fool you, our first fighter of this match up proves that size doesn't matter! The Star Warrior hailing from Dreamland. Ladies and gents, I give you Kirby of the Stars!" Roaren shouted.

The door opened, and Kirby was admitted into the arena.

"Poyo...poy..." he muttered in awe, as his ears were bombarded by the screaming, not to mention adoring, fans.

"Oh my gosh, he is soooooo cute!" one drunk woman cried out.

"Can I take him home with me?!" shouted another, who just so happened to be sitting a little to close to Meta Knight.

"Absolutely not!" Meta Knight gruffed sternly, looking over his shoulder. "You are intoxicated."

"-hic-! Hey, you're kinda cute too..." the intoxicated party girl slurred. "Can I take you instead?"

Meta Knight hated being called cute! Before he could retort, Kautounie chased the drunkard off with a quick growl. Some people just didn't know their limits!

Tiff on the other hand was feeling nervous. She knew Kirby could fight, and these battles were not to the death, but her big sister instincts were taking over. She didn't like seeing Kirby get hurt, and if things got bad, she wasn't allowed to go inside and help him. Though a reassuring nod from Meta Knight told her that everything would be just fine.

Kirby spotted his friends in the crowd and waved in his usual adorable way. While Tiff and the Redsuns waved back, Meta Knight's eyes briefly turned blue for a moment, before going back to their normal yellow.

"You all know and love him, even if he's only been here two days!" Roaren called out, quieting down the excited crowd, "Needing no introduction, but he's getting one anyway because it's my job, the one and only, Knuckle Joe!"

Kirby's heart began to pound in excitement as his friend entered the arena from the other side of the pit. Knuckle Joe was met with the same enthusiasm as his opponent was.

"Alright you two. You can play nice or dirty, but I think between all of us here, we know what this half drunken crowd would rather see!" Roaren announced.

"Wait, what?" Tiff asked, shocked.

"Did you not catch on from the last five fights?" Kautounie asked.

"These battles are anything goes." Geoffrey added. "Non-lethal, of course, but anything goes."

It was too late for anyone to turn back now. Knuckle Joe stared Kirby down, studying him, and Kirby did the same. The smaller puffball had been taught to fight with chivalry and honor, but Knuckle Joe was not. Suddenly, the little elf-like being tensed, then began throwing a series of fast paced punches, sending their energy across the battleground and towards Kirby.

"Smash punch!" Knuckle Joe called, charging his opponent down.

Kirby rolled out of the way of the first few, but he wasn't fast enough to avoid the last two punches thrown. He cried out from the pain, sliding across the dirt, then quickly righted himself.

"Vulcan jab!" Knuckle Joe shouted.

"Well, what does he need me more for?" Roaren sighed. "He's doing all of his own announcing." he added, resulting in some snickers from the spectators.

This time, Kirby braced himself, then opened his mouth and began to inhale. The startled crowd had to hold onto their seats and drinks, to avoid loosing them. Even Roaren had to use is two front paws to keep his headset on.

"Oi, Kirby's began to use his inhale!" Roaren called, feeling his own pulse race with excitement.

One thing he wasn't announcing the the club was just how much he wanted to see Kirby use his signature attack in a real fight.

Kirby swallowed one of the balls of energy, then promptly transformed. There wasn't much of a change, he was still the adorable little gumball we all know and love, but this time, he wore a red headband around his head.

"Ladies and gents, we have ourselves Fighter Kirby!" Roaren announced, though he was nearly drowned out by screeching fight fans.

"Now you and I are even, Kirby!" Knuckle Joe said, making another motion with his hand, rubbing it under his nose.

Once again, Fighter Kirby mimicked the gesture.

The two of them began fighting in a dizzying array of fast punches, dealing attacks from a distance, closing with their opponent, then breaking off again. Both were quite shocked to see just how much the other had grown in strength. Kirby and Knuckle Joe were matched up evenly, until the smaller pink warrior surprised his old friend with a round house kick, sending Knuckle Joe sprawling to the dirt. There was a mix of disappointment and cheers coming from the crowd.

"Well done, my apprentice." Meta Knight praised, quietly.

"And a fantastic round house kick from Fighter Kirby!" Roaren announced. "Lets see if... oh wait, Knuckle Joe's getting back to his feet! Yes, YES! And he's up!"

"Be careful, Kirby..." Tiff sighed.

The fight continued, each martial artist having to constantly mix up their attack strategy to take the other off guard. Both had a fair share of fresh bruises and cuts, but neither one was ready to yield to the other.

"You know, maybe if Knuckle Joe quit narrating his every move, he would gain an edge on Kirby..." Geoffrey muttered.

"Shhh!" was all Tiff hissed, slapping the human on the arm, "Don't give him ideas!"

Finally, Fighter Kirby and Knuckle Joe collided, each one attacking the other with the massive uppercut known as Rising Break.

"Could this be it?!" Roaren gasped, as a hush fell over the crowd.

It was a thrilling spectacle, then the two battlers separated and feel to the dirt on opposite sides of the arena. Kirby twitched slightly, barely managing to sit up. Knuckle Joe wasn't faring much better. He groaned, trying to get up. Strangely enough, the crowd had gone deathly quiet.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, cautiously limping towards his prone and exhausted friend.

"Good fight, eh Kirby?" Knuckle Joe asked, right before he passed out.

"Ladies and gents! What a fight! But Knuckle Joe is unable to battle. Kirby of the Stars is the winner!" Roaren announced.

"Yes, yes!" Tiff screamed, stopping herself before she got too carried away.

Geoffrey only applauded and smirked. Yup, more gold dragons were coming his way, that's for sure. Neo and Kautounie both howled, their distinctive cries easily heard over the roaring, drunk fans. Meta Knight was much more quiet and dignified, as he gazed down on his apprentice with pride filled blue eyes.

Both fighters were whisked out of the arena to have their injuries tended while the crowd was quieted down by club staff.

"You gotta admit, that was a close fight!" Kautounie said, as she and the rest of her group waited outside the infirmary.

"A little too close, I should think." Geoffrey stated.

All they could do now was wait. Kirby and Knuckle Joe had done quite a number on each other, and the healers were still patching the two of them up. Tiff and Neo were a tad grumpy when informed that they were not allowed to enter at this time, even though they were Kirby's healers. Kautounie was quick to calm Neo down, as was Meta Knight to Tiff.

*Infirmary*

"Poyo?" asked a familiar, cute voice.

Knuckle Joe didn't remember much, only that there was a fight to finish. However once he woke up, he quickly realized that the fight was over. He was in a sterile white room, lined with beds, some of which were occupied. Most of his major injuries had been healed, though his right arm had been bandaged up. People of various races, mostly humans although there was one zwetoock, wearing white healer's robes with the Knight Club logo on them were dashing about.

Sitting on Knuckle Joe's bed beside him was a very concerned Kirby. He too had been patched up, and looked nearly good as new.

"You gave me a real workout, Kirby!" Knuckle Joe complemented. "If I was going to loose to anyone, I'm just glad it was you."

Once determined by the healers that the two of them were well enough to leave, they were admitted outside, where their friends, old and new, were waiting for them.

"Hey, it's getting late, and we better be getting home soon," Geoffrey mentioned, running a hand through his messy black hair, "Say Joe, want to come back with us? There's plenty of room."

"Nah that's fine! Garna's set me up with a place to stay while I'm in town." Knuckle Joe said, "If you need me, you'll know where to find me!"

"Don't let her start spoiling you, now!" Neo warned, resulting in a cocky smirk from the little elf.

With the night's excitement over, Knuckle Joe bade the others a good night before heading back into the club. Kirby was more then happy to rejoin with his companions and head back for Geoffrey's basement. The girls were still chatting with each other on the walk home, while Kirby curled up against Meta Knight, under a protective fold of his mentor's cape.

Back at base, Neo and Kautounie quickly changed out of their nice mage robes, then crashed on the couch. They must have been tired, they didn't even bother watching a little bit of television before going to sleep. Tiff and Kirby were more then happy to crawl under the warm covers of the bed and fell asleep in an instant. Geoffrey and Meta Knight were still awake however.

"Well, tomorrow, or the next day at the most, the Halberd should be here." Geoffrey said, quietly, as not to disturb his sleeping companions.

Meta Knight remained silent, deep in thought.

"Hey buddy, I've got an idea." Geoffrey stated, breaking the old knight from his thoughts.

He led Meta Knight to his desk and opened up the laptop computer. Now Meta Knight knew what he had in mind. Perhaps an update with his 'boys in green armor' as the rogue put it, would help put his restless mind at ease.

"I take it that Garna has taken necessary precautions?" the old warrior asked, bringing up a static covered screen onto the monitor and typed a few keys.

Geoffrey only smiled and nodded.

The static cleared, then focused on an image of the Halberd's bridge. Sword and Blade were there, accompanied by Escargoon. They hadn't seen the snail for a while, though he was looking a little worse for wear. Odds were pretty good that he was hanging around the two knights in order to get away from King Dedede.

Sword Knight and Blade Knight looked a bit startled as their own screen flickered, but relaxed when they saw it was Meta Knight.

"Sir Meta Knight!" the two knaves said in unison, standing at attention.

Escargoon just groaned and threw an anxious look at the double doors leading onto the bridge, silently praying King Dedede had found someone else to bother.

"At ease." Meta Knight said, holding up his hand in a calming gesture. "Any updates?"

"Aye, sir! We should be entering Horva's atmosphere tomorrow!" Sword reported.

"About time, I've nearly forgotten what real solid ground looks like." Escargoon sighed.

"'Arna's enn keepin' Ightmar' off our tails so ar', sir! No ouble' ince' she's been watchin' out or' us!" Blade added.

"That is good to hear. The zwetoock sisters have already sent word to Tamoko Redsun to expect you. Keep strong! Take good care of my ship and yourselves!" Meta Knight said, with a nod of approval.

"We will see you when we land, sir!" Sword stated.

With that exchange, both screens went dark. Meta Knight sat back in his chair, thankful that his relieved smile was hidden by his mask.

"Thank you, Geoffrey." he said simply, before leaving the desk and sitting down on the bed beside Kirby.

Geoffrey took off his coat, draping it over the chair where Meta Knight had previously been sitting, then leaned up against the wall, bidding the blue warrior a good night before falling asleep.

Meta Knight watched the human with amusement, then turned to his little apprentice as he slept. The pink puffball mumbled softly. He was probably dreaming about food, or perhaps Knuckle Joe.

Meta Knight felt much better now. Soon, the Halberd and his crew would be there safely. Once again, he would ride the skies aboard his beloved ship. While thinking about the events that were to transpire the next day, the old warrior suddenly realized that Kirby had grabbed onto the corner of his cape, snuggling into it in his sleep. He may as well just accept it, for the time being, there would be no breaking Kirby of the childish albeit adorable quirk.

Kirby had done well, so Meta Knight sighed and just made himself comfortable so he too could get some much needed rest. He knew he had warned his apprentice not to make a habit out of it, but perhaps if the little one remembered that Meta Knight was his teacher first, there wasn't to much harm to be done. Wait a minute, what was he saying?!

"What is happening to me?" Meta Knight growled quietly to himself.

Well, no witnesses, at least none that were awake. Making sure Geoffrey and the others were fully asleep, Meta Knight gently placed his gloved hand on Kirby's head.

"Sleep well, my little warrior." he said softly, before drifting off himself.

 **Author's Notes::** We have the introduction to our next major villain on Horva, Ronic. What's he up to exactly? You'll find out.  
Ronic actually originated in an RP I did long ago with a very dear friend of mine. I loved the character so much and I kept him buried for so long, it's time to bring him out of hiding. Another fun fact, he's strongly inspired by both the Nostalgia Critic and Dark Helmet of Spaceballs. Bruno, he's strong and an ox and half as smart. The clueless knight is Ronic's counterpart and bodyguard. I love this guy too, sort of a lost puppy among the villains. Let me tell you, this guy could be mistaken for the Masher 2.0 and even Jason Voorhees would think twice before getting in a scrap with him.

And, moving on, Knuckle Joe and Kirby have their sport battle. By the way, if you were wondering, I based most of Roaren's announcements around the announcer guy in the Pokemon Stadium/Battle Revolution games. Just another fun tidbit. I also thought it would be fun to play around with the whole "Announcing attacks" thing that Knuckle Joe is oh so guilty of. (Seriously ya little twit, do you play poker with your cards showing too?! lol )

Anyway, good news for the team, the Halberd is on it's way and things are looking up... OR ARE THEY?!

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	18. One of Those Days

In You're Nightmares, *sigh* One of Those Days

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, Some Major Disappointment for the Team, and Highly Suggestive Banter.

'Well, it's day six since we left that horrific asylum. Last night was pretty fun, partying at Garna's club and all, though I was a little scared when Kirby decided to fight Knuckle Joe in the arena. What can I say, I'm his big sister, I worry about him! But now I think I'm actually more restless then Meta Knight at this point. All I could really think about as I slept last night was my family. I really want to see them again.'

The Thoughts of Tiff Ebrum

'Why does it seem that after a really good time, it always feels like things are somehow going to take a turn for the worst? Am I just being pessimistic? Gods, I sure hope not. Anyway, why am I asking you?'

The Thoughts of Geoffrey 'Redsun' Collins

'Seriously, Geoffrey. Are you really breaking the fourth wall? Oh Sundar, what am I saying?!'

The Thoughts of Kautounie Redsun

'Turns out I couldn't have come to this weird planet at a better time even if I planned it! Meta Knight and Tiff gave me the lowdown last night of how they ended up here, along with their odd new friends. Apparently those furry canids and that human are natives to this planet. One thing's for sure, I'm glad to have Kirby back on my side, even if he did pound me into the dirt durin' our little sport brawl in the Knight Club. Still, so far I've only hear talk of what his Horvian companions are capable of, but I ain't believin' it until I see it!"

The Thoughts of Knuckle Joe

 **IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~**

"Be careful, your Grace." Riley warned, softly, placing her manicured hand on the wraith's shoulder guard, "Those who intend to resist your rule may be listening."

"Oh, but my dear, that's exactly what I'm hoping for." Nightmare hissed gleefully, turning his sharp gaze to the half-demoness.

The wraith wrapped his starry cape around himself, taking on the familiar form that was both his sigil and company logo. It was time to make his announcement, to friend and foe alike.

*Holy Nightmare's Message*

"All the Faithful, all the Loyal, the time has come! I, Holy Nightmare, your lord and master, call upon you now! My reign has begun once again! Take up your arms, slaughter and enslave those that would stand in your way. Remind them who the one true ruler of this universe is! I call upon you now, to fight! Destroy the resistances! You know not of pain, you know not of fear. Pain and fear is for the enemy! I, Holy Nightmare, have spoken!"

 **IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~**

*The Free City of Thea'or*

It was mid afternoon by now, and there was no word from Garna or the Halberd.

Since it wouldn't do them any good to just pace around the basement restlessly, Kautounie had brought Tiff and Kirby to the snow covered fields just outside of town. She had taken Diesel and Tank with her, thinking that perhaps a short ride would help calm Tiff's nerves. The elder sorceress knew that Tiff had a fondness for nature and animals. Besides, ever since she received that spell book, Tiff hardly ever set it down. Sometimes, even a mage's mind could use a break from study.

Tiff was riding on Tank while Kautounie and Kirby sat on Diesel's back. It was probably better for Tiff to learn how to ride the gentler mare by herself first before attempting to control the much bigger, free spirited stallion. Though even on the much smaller steed, the young Dreamlander girl was having an awkward time. These animals were massive compared to her, her feet couldn't even reach the stirrups.

"Easy there, Tiff." Kautounie instructed, "Feel her movements. She's only doing what you're telling her to do."

"This is my first time actually being in control of one of these things." Tiff admitted, nervously, trying not to slide off the animal's back, "You guys make riding these... eh..."

"Horses..."

"Right, you guys make riding these horses look so easy."

Kautounie just smiled, looking up to the cloudy sky as it began to part, thinking to herself. The Redsuns did more then just train and ride horses, there was a connection deeper then that. A bond she wanted her friend to be a part of.

"Trust me, it takes years of training, for both horse and rider." Kautounie explained, "Neo and Tank are still learning, as a matter of fact."

Well, if at least one good thing came out of this experience, at least it was a nice day, despite the chill in the snowy air, and taking a ride out in the fields did help alleviate any anxiety and stress that had been building up inside Tiff. Kirby had been watching his big sister curiously, and eventually Kautounie handed the pink puffball the reins, though she was still in control of the massive Percheron stallion. It was nice to go at a leisurely pace for once, not racing in a mad dash against the icy wind.

Back inside the city gates, Kirby and the girls came across a familiar face. They had seen this particular red batamon when they were leaving to go to Ravenwing Bog, if only for a split second. This time, however, the armored puffball approached them.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, tilting his head cutely like a questioning puppy.

"Excuse me, but have we met before?" Kautounie asked, as she dismounted her horse.

Tiff cautiously followed the zwetoock's example and slid from her own mount, shortly joined by Kirby. She had been curious about this particular spherical knight, (well, he looked enough like a knight, anyway, he was wearing what looked like GSA armor, similar to that which Meta Knight wore.) Upon closer inspection, he appeared to be quite old, older then Meta Knight, even.

"Briefly, perhaps." the red puffball said, his voice full of charm and sophistication, yet surprisingly gentle, "You wear the sigil of the Redsun, am I right? And you, dear girl, wear the symbol of a star warrior. And if I'm not mistaken, the little pink one is a Star Warrior too." he added. "You seem like able bodied and trustworthy young travelers to me. I was wondering if you could perhaps help me out with something?"

Tiff and Kautounie glanced to each other, though Kirby looked more then willing to help out a fellow puffball in need. They had quite a bit on their plates as it were, but, a nod from the two girls was enough the tell the red knight to continue.

"You see, some of my treasures have been... misplaced, stolen might be a more appropriate word. I suspected Nightmare or someone close to him was behind it. Perhaps if you should stumble across them on your travels, you would be so kind as to return them to me? I cannot pay you right away, but I promise I'll make it worth your effort."

Hmmm, a little strange perhaps, but what harm could it be? Unless it was another one of Riley's tricks. But if it was, why hadn't anything happened as of yet? He's had more then enough time to set up anything.

Then again, Geoffrey for one had always promoted helping the less fortunate reclaim what was theirs, especially if it meant pissing off tyrants like Riley and Nightmare in the process.

"Sure, I think we can help. But, what are we looking for?" Tiff asked.

"Ah, my dear girl, you'll know them when you see them." the red puff explained, his gentle smile concealed behind his golden armor.

"Okay, step two, how will we find you?" Kautounie questioned.

"You needn't worry about that, milady. I will find you."

The elder red knight bowed politely, bidding each of the travelers a good day, before turning around and walking down the snow covered streets.

"Poy-poyo!" Kirby called after the mysterious stranger.

"Wait, could we at least get your name?!" Tiff shouted.

The red puff stopped in his tracks, and without looking over his shoulder said, "Vol'drocken."

Tiff and Kautounie looked away for a split second, then Kirby cried out in surprise. Vol'drocken had just vanished, in the same fashion Meta Knight seemed to do.

"Great. Now it seems that there are two Meta Knights lurking in this city." Tiff sighed.

"Er, remember what happened the last time there were two Meta Knights wondering about?" Kautounie asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Yeah, that wasn't fun at all!

It's not like they really needed more on their to do lists, but it was just a prerequisite of being a hero, a good person, the nice guy, the difficulty to say a single word. No.

There was no going back now, but at least they were promised something in return... eventually, anyway. What exactly, was never explained. But for all they knew, they wouldn't find this knight's "misplaced" treasures, or they wouldn't even hear from him again. He was kind of strange, perhaps even insane.

Kautounie and Tiff returned the horses to the boarding stable and headed back to Geoffrey's garage, only to be stopped about half way by the rogue in question and Roaren bounding after them from one of the many shady ally ways in the Thieves' District.

"Hey guys!" Kautounie said happily, her ears perking up.

Kirby cheerfully skidded to the rouge and wolfwrath, giving the latter to the two a light scratch beneath the chin. But the good mood was instantly shot by the grim expressions on Roaren's and Geoffrey's faces.

"What's the matter?" Tiff asked.

"We'll explain on the way." Geoffrey stated, motioning for the others to follow.

In the light of the bright afternoon sun, the Thieves' District wasn't nearly as scary, though one could not afford to get too comfortable in this place. Tiff put her hand inside her pocket, feeling around, letting out a small sigh of relief when she felt the Star Rod piece was still there.

"So spill it," Kautounie snorted, "What's going on?"

"Garna and Meta Knight have both lost contact with the Halberd!" Roaren explained.

This statement caused Kirby and Tiff both to halt in their tracks. What did he just say?!

"Poy, poyo, Medi Kni's Hal 'erd?" Kirby asked, frantically flailing his tiny arms around.

"While you guys were out riding, the Halberd came into Horva's atmosphere then it was just...gone," Geoffrey rasped, "Meta Knight and Garna both tried hailing them, but no response."

"Well, the ship was damaged, perhaps their communications are just kaput." his sister suggested, gazing up to the sky, expecting that any minute, the magnificent war ship would come flying overhead.

"Right now we need answers, not speculation," Roaren said, lowering his ears and tail sadly and letting out a soft whine.

The small group reached the Knight Club, and Geoffrey led them into the back ally, pushed the hidden switch, and ushered everyone inside the secret passage way leading into Garna's office. As they sprinted down the tunnel, Roaren taking the lead, they could hear a disembodied electronic voice, and the very distinctive sound of Garna's shouting.

"How does something that damn big just vanish?!" Garna screamed, frantically scrabbling her fingers across a keyboard, growling with annoyance when once again, nothing happened.

Garna, Meta Knight, Neo, and even Knuckle Joe were all doing everything they could to locate the star warrior's missing ship, but nothing was working. Had perhaps Nightmare finally gotten a step ahead of them?

"Well, good luck..." Roaren whimpered, taking refuge on the rug beside the fireplace.

Above the fireplace, where the painting of Sir Arthur usually hung, was a large screen, displaying nothing but static.

"So, what's going on?" Tiff asked.

"We know that the Halberd still flies, we just cannot find her nor contact her!" Meta Knight answered.

The rest of the group offered their help and suggestions, but nothing was working. Eventually, the screens went from static, to just black, leaving the team mortified. A high pitched ring filled the room, until Garna finally switched the equipment off in a huff.

It was beyond strange. Indeed, a great big warship like that coming onto the planet, you would have thought someone would have seen it! Or perhaps, someone had. And the Halberd was already sustaining heavy damage.

"... Son of a bitch..." Garna glowered.

Meta Knight remained surprisingly silent. He couldn't afford to loose his cool or jump to conclusions. The elder warrior wasn't sharing with the rest of the class, but something in the back if his mind was telling him that the Halberd herself was alright, (well, save for the before mentioned damage.) It was her crew and passengers that might be in danger.

"So what do we do now?" Neo asked.

 **IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~**

They waited in uneasy silence for the longest time, occasionally trying to hail the Halberd. But no one could pick up a thing. It was not certain how much time had passed, only that every minute felt like an eternity.

"Hey, I think I got somthin'!" Knuckle Joe announced at last.

Everyone crowded around the large screen above the fireplace, and even Roaren had gotten up to get a look. They were hoping that the static would clear away, and they would be staring at the bridge of the Halberd any second. But sadly, that was not the case. It was a dark figure, suspended in the cosmos, shrouded by shadows. Everyone tensed up, and Roaren growled loudly, fire threatening to spill from his maw. Nightmare!

"All the Faithful, all the Loyal, the time has come! I, Holy Nightmare, your lord and master, call upon you now!" Nightmare drawled.

"Boo! Hiss! Turn that bastard off!" Kautounie snarled.

"Poyo, poy-inght-are!" Kirby agreed.

"Wait!" Meta Knight said, holding out a hand to the zwetoock.

He wanted to hear just what Nightmare had to say. Perhaps he'd let slip some useful information.

"Take up your arms, slaughter and enslave those that would stand in your way. Remind them who the one true ruler of this universe is!"

"Dear Sundar, he is in love with himself." Neo muttered, shaking her head in disapproval.

"What an asshole." Geoffrey grumbled, only to be 'shushed' by Meta Knight, though Knuckle Joe silently nodded in agreement.

"Destroy the resistances! You know not of pain, you know not of fear. Pain and fear is for the enemy! I, Holy Nightmare, have spoken!" Nightmare finished, his shaded eyes glowing red for a moment.

Then the broadcast cut off, leaving the screen with nothing but static. So what did they learn besides the fact that Nightmare was in love with himself? Well, he was calling all his followers to arms, as if they didn't know that already. It was pretty careless of him to let them so easily pick up his signal, though it was quickly discovered that they were let in, as if he wanted them to see that.

"He's playing us..." Neo said, quietly, "This was a rally message for his troops. Yet it was also meant for us as well, as a threat. Nightmare wants us to know what he's doing, he wants us to be afraid."

"That's because he does not think that there is anything we can do to stop him!" Meta Knight growled, his eyes perverting to an angry red.

How he longed to make Nightmare eat his words, as did his little apprentice. Kirby glared at the now static covered screen. However, he tore himself away, seeking refuge by his big sister's side.

Tiff unconsciously twirled her ring around her finger, deep in thought. She was trying hard not to think about some sort of horrible demise the Halberd's crew and passengers might have endured, but every time she tried to focus her mind on something else, her thoughts would drift back into darkness. Now Nightmare's message was running through her head again. That voice! That horrible, cold, voice! It sent shivers down her spine. The girl shook those dark thoughts from her head, placing her free hand on Kirby's back as he cuddled up beside her.

Geoffrey passed the time by throwing knives into the painting of Nightmare, though being as distracted as he was, he was a bit off his game.

Finally, Kautounie and Neo could no longer stand it.

"Where are you two goin'?" Knuckle Joe asked.

"The Crimson Woods," Neo answered, grabbing her winter cloak off one of the hooks hanging by the door.

"Perhaps all the primitive magic bouncing around there is simply masking the ship's signal." Kautounie suggested.

"Yes, but you'd have thought someone around here would have seen it then. You and I were just outside, we would have seen it!" Tiff pointed out, "Besides, wouldn't we have been able to get a hold of them before they landed in the Crimson Woods?"

Kautounie and Neo both sighed. Here they were, finally with an idea in mind, and then Tiff had to go an make sense.

"Tiff is right," Meta Knight said, "We should have had no trouble contacting them before they reached the woods."

*Geoffrey's Basement, next day*

The next day, still no word from the Halberd. Meta Knight kept checking back with Garna, just in case by some miracle, she had found them, but to no avail. But this was as good of time as any for Tiff and Kautounie to let the rest of the team know about the little treasure quest they had accepted from a batamon knight who called himself, Vol'drocken.

"Do we even know what we're looking for?" Geoffrey sighed.

"Eh, no, not really." Tiff admitted, nervously.

"He just said that he would find us when we do find whatever it is we are supposed to find." Kautounie added.

"Ah, so he's a stalker too. That's great, that's just great..."

Well, it went better then the two girls were expecting it too.

But Neo eventually couldn't take any more and went outside for some fresh air, Kirby keeping her company. She leaned against the closed garage doors, anxiously scraping imaginary dirt from her claws, watching the snow fall and the occasional car or pedestrian pass by.

"Where could they be? Pity I'm not a skilled diviner at this time, like mother, huh?" Neo asked, looking down to the small puffball at her feet.

"Poyo..." Kirby sighed sadly.

Suddenly, Neo's ears began to twitch. She glanced around, instinctively putting her hand on the wand by her side. Then she relaxed, feeling a comforting and familiar presence. Flying as fast as her wings could carry her was Neo's owl, Talon. The young zwetoock was not expecting her trusted familiar to come back to her so soon.

"Talon!" Neo cried out, holding out her arm for the owl to perch.

"Bad news, my princess!" Talon screeched frantically, ruffling up her feathers as she landed, "No massive ship, none of your Sir Meta Knight's tasty friends."

Talon was breathing quickly, as if she had been flying non stop. Neo placed her hand on the owl's head and gently stroked her to calm her down. She sighed heavily. But at least she knew that it wouldn't have done her or her sister any good to just take off for the woods.

"Mother... is still waiting for them them." Talon panted, folding up her wings neatly along her sides.

"Well, we may as of yet have another treasure hunt to go on..." Neo muttered.

"Poy, poyo, Kabu?" Kirby asked, blinking up to where Talon was perched.

"Hmmm? Kabu, says the tasty pink one?" Talon asked, "Yes, mother spoke to him, of course. But all he was babbling on about was that you would find all you need in harmony, whatever that's supposed to mean. Then she sent me back to tell my princess and her friends."

Neo and Kirby both froze. That was it! Harmony. That's where Knuckle Joe said the Masher 2.0 had been rumored to be lurking about. Perhaps the Halberd's disappearance, Masher, and the small town of Harmony were connected somehow. It was shaky at best, but it was better then what they had been getting, which was nothing.

"Hmmm? What did I say?" Talon asked, concerned by the sudden quiet.

"Poyo, poy! Thank-thanks, Talon!" Kirby chirped.

Talon now looked even more confused as she tilted her head at the small pink warrior.

"Oh Talon! You've done fantastically!" Neo praised, "You must come inside and tell the others."

*Back in the Basement*

Meta Knight and Garna, were currently sharing a three way transmission, with none other then the mad doctor himself. There appeared to be a lot more activity going on inside the laboratory ever since Dr. Knarks had gotten his precious funding. Garna was sitting near the fireplace in her office, glaring up at the screen with great despise.

"No, I can't say that I have seen or heard of a massive war ship around these parts," Dr. Knarks said. "I've been far to busy with my research, though it does sound rather delightful."

Meta Knight sighed heavily and nodded, while Garna only growled, as though she was thinking that somehow Dr. Knarks had managed to snatch the ship right out of the sky and hide it in his lab coat pocket. Though understandably enough, Meta Knight had the slightest twinge of distrust in his own golden gaze.

"Do you think I had something to do with this?" Dr. Knarks balked, "I'm to busy making monsters... pardon me, celestial beasts for you all. Which are coming right along, magnificently I should add."

Well, at least there was some good news, but the mad doctor's next question suddenly brought everything slamming back down to Earth, no wait... Horva.

"How do you loose something as big as an entire air ship, anyway?"

"It is a long and complicated story," Meta Knight grumbled, growling irritated, "one I do not wish to tell at this time."

"Well, good luck on your little quest, then." the draconian shrugged.

"Can't you help us find it?" Garna snipped.

"Damn it, Miss Riverdale, I'm a doctor not a airship tracker! Besides, if this Halberd is as big at you say it is, you shouldn't have any trouble at all finding it." Dr. Knarks huffed, "Now then, I have to get back to work. I'll contact you once I've successfully produced my first celestial beast. May you all be victorious in battle, and may Holy Nightmare suck the big one."

With those parting words, Dr. Knarks canceled his part of the transmission, leaving Meta Knight slightly baffled, Garna just annoyed, though Kautounie nearly spit out her drink.

"I'm not so sure I'd want him to!" Kautounie snorted. "Have you seen that guy's teeth?

"Oh Kautounie, that is so dirty!" Geoffrey scolded. "I love it!"

"Ummm, Meta Knight, what are they talking about?" Tiff asked.

Garna began to explain what the term meant, only to be talked over by Meta Knight.

"It's nothing, Tiff." Meta Knight said quickly.

"Hey, she asked!" Garna protested.

"No, it's nothing!"

At least nothing Tiff needed to be knowing about, anyway. A quick warning glare from Meta Knight told Geoffrey and Kautounie not to explain what it meant either.

Suddenly, Neo and Kirby both came bounding down the stairs, with a blur of rust red swooping down in front of them. Once the blur perched itself on Geoffrey's desk, everyone could see that it was just Talon.

"Guys, listen up!" Neo announced, "We've got to go to Harmony."

She was met with many blank and confused stares. Finally, the mage gestured for Talon to tell them what she had told her. Once the familiar began to explain everything, Neo's sudden out of place statement began to make more sense.

"All you need can be found in harmony. That's what Kabu told mother, and that's what she told me to tell you." Talon finished.

It could have just been a coincidence. But Kabu was not one for lying. It was a long shot, but right now, that's all they had. And as Meta Knight was quick to point out, every moment spent waiting around was a moment Nightmare was using to gain power.

"Well, I'd say we've had a long enough rest." Geoffrey said.

Meta Knight looked down to Kirby as the pink puffball approached him.

"What do you say, young one?"

Kirby nodded once, a look of determination on his face. By the looks of things, he was up for their next adventure.

"I'll tell Knuckle Joe to gear up," Garna informed with a nod, though she didn't have to.

The pint-sized fighting elf had just come into her office to check what all was going on.

"So, we finally gettin' outta here, then?" he asked after everything had been explained to him, looking up to others gathered around the screen.

"It would appear that way." Meta Knight grunted.

"Can't wait, I'll meet you all in an hour at the city gates!" Knuckle Joe stated.

He glanced downward, slightly confused. Joe had to look twice, just to make sure that his eyes were not deceiving him. They weren't.

"Eh, Garna. You do realize that your dog is in the fireplace, right?"

"Yeah, what's so strange about that?" the assassin asked, as if it were a normal occurrence, "As long as he shakes himself off in there when he's done and wipes the ashes from his paws, we have no trouble."

"Aye, I'm still a wolfwrath, you know." Roaren muttered, his voice slightly muffled by his own tail as it curled over his nose. (Unseen by Kirby's team, of course.)

Garna gave a mischievous smirk before canceling communications.

They had a lot to do, and really not enough time to do it in. But, they were going to do it anyway.

Meta Knight closed the laptop he had been borrowing from Geoffrey and sighed heavily. An hour, that wasn't much time to get ready. Tiff sprang out of the chair she had been sitting in, hastily making sure that she had everything all set in her pack, ready to go. This time around, Geoffrey brought a small, hand held communication device with him he called an Xtransiear, (similar to the cell phones of Earth, but much cooler, far more reliable, and no contracts) in order to keep in touch with Garna and Dr. Knarks, just in case either of the two stumbled upon something. Naturally, he was packing plenty of heat as well.

"Hey Tiff," Geoffrey called, startling the girl without meaning too, "I picked this out with just you in mind." he added, handing her a combat knife with brass knuckles set into the handle, "It's horribly off balance for throwing, but in a close combat pinch, it can be a lifesaver. And from what I understand, you can throw a pretty mean punch."

"Thanks..." Tiff said, placing the knife on her belt next to wicked, "It is pretty cool, don't you think, Kirby?" she asked, earning a nod from the pink warrior.

Geoffrey smirked, then slung a large, uniquely shaped pack over his shoulder. He wasn't telling anyone what was inside, only that it was 'a surprise'. Probably one of his bigger guns.

Before they left, Neo gave Talon a grateful scratch under her wing, where she liked it most, before dismissing the familiar. The owl's form faded into soft, golden light before vanishing completely.

"Don't worry, she'll be back." Neo smirked.

Geoffrey was the last to leave the basement, as he had to make sure everything was locked and sealed. Gear in hand, they collected the horses and mounted up before heading to the gates of Thea'or. Along the way, a member of the city garrison warned the adventurers that lately, far more monsters then usual had been spotted on the roads. A good bit of information to be certain.

It was mid afternoon, late at the most, and there was still plenty of light to travel by, though the snow on the roads would make travel slower.

Sure enough, when they reached the gates, Knuckle Joe was leaning against the nearby guard house, his own small backpack slung over his shoulder. Kirby cheerfully waved at his friend from Tank's back.

"Wait a minute, you guys are takin' those things?!" were the first words out of Knuckle Joe's mouth.

"That was my reaction at first, Joe," Meta Knight sighed, "But it is faster then walking."

"Hop on," Kautounie said, offering her hand to Knuckle Joe, "There's plenty of room on Diesel."

"Once you get used to it, it's actually kinda fun!" Tiff piped in, encouragingly.

The smaller warrior took Kautounie's paw-like hand and she effortlessly lifted him up, having him sit behind her. It was uncertain when they would get to Harmony, it was all the way in the desert to the West. What was for certain, they were all in for one hell of a road trip, battling weather conditions, demon beasts, and most of all, each other.

 **Author's Notes::** Moving on, a short chapter, only 11 pages on my Open Office, but... Le' GASP?! The Halberd? Gone? Where? How? Sounds like there's something funny afoot! (and not funny, 'ha ha'.) What's become of the mighty war ship and her crew? What dangers await Kirby's team out in the wilds? Guess what? You'll know as soon as they do!

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	19. It's Time Once Again

**Author's Notes::** _Before we start, I'd like to answer a question from a guest, who commented with a kind review on Chapter 14, about Toxic Kirby. Okay, here goes. Remember, I originally wrote this back in 2012. The Poison Ability is brand new, introduced in Kirby: Planet Robobot, which came out this year, 2016! I developed the fanmade "Toxic" ability because I initially couldn't find a poison themed ability when I was writing these. Again, I appreciate comments, reviews, follows, and likes on all my stories. In your Nightmares is nearly up to 500 views! (Which is like, a HUGE deal to me.) Positive comments and encouragement make me want to upload/write more. It's easier to work when it's being appreciated and enjoyed. And if you enjoy my Redsuns, you'll probably enjoy their uncensored escapades in Dream Weavers too._

 _On to the chapter!_

In You're Nightmares, It's Time Once Again

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Extreme Religious Fanatics.

'Well, with the Halberd missing and no way to hail them, we have no choice but to head out. There's still two more pieces of Kirby's Star Rod we must recover. Meta Knight's right, every moment we spend waiting is a moment Nightmare uses to gain in power. I just hope everyone it okay. Mom, dad, Tuff, Sword, Blade... *sigh*, even King Dedede.'

The Thoughts of Tiff Ebrum

'Right now, I figure the best route to take would be along the coastline of the Ember Sea. Eventually, it will lead us right to the Serpent's Eye Desert, and Harmony, our destination. We've got new muscle on the team this time around, and I'll say, Knuckle Joe had proven himself to be a tenacious little fighter. But that was in a controlled environment. I'll have to see for myself how he does in a life and death situation.'

The Thoughts of Kautounie Redsun

'Hmph, touche, furball.'

The Thoughts of Knuckle Joe

'I don't know why exactly, call it a sixth, seventh, or eighth sense, but I have a strong feeling that the Halberd still flies. It is her crew and passengers that I'm not so sure about. Nightmare is escalating his attack, he is much bolder then the last time we faced him. I can only pray that my apprentice and companions will be ready.'

The Thoughts of Sir Meta Knight

'Well, so far we haven't run into too much trouble, save for a couple skirmishes on the road not really worth mentioning. As in any game, Nightmare's sending in his pawns first. Then there were those goblin bandits that turned tail and fled just at the sight of the zwetoock sisters. Hmph, that was quite funny, I should say. But somehow I have a feeling that they'll be back."

The Thoughts of Geoffrey 'Redsun' Collins

It was about five days into their journey, and so far, things had been manageable. At least there were fewer threats to innocent travelers on the western road leading to and from Thea'or now. Unlike when they had gone north, where the snow became thicker and harsher, the farther west they went, the more the weather warmed up and the snow began to clear up until it was gone altogether. Already the traveling party could tell, the ocean was getting nearer. Despite the fact that there was snow on the ground just three days ago, it was surprisingly warm this day.

So far, no word from the Halberd as of yet, though every time the group stopped to rest, Geoffrey and Meta Knight would check in with Garna back in Thea'or.

As of right now the group left the main road and followed a small, swiftly flowing river along a thinly wooded grove's edge. The sky was clear and beautiful, perhaps a sign of good things to come.

"If we follow this river, it will take us to the Ember Sea." Kautounie pointed out, trotting ahead of Geoffrey and Neo.

"We should make it to the coastline by late afternoon," Geoffrey added.

"Lets hope so!" Neo piped in, "When the sunlight hits the water at just the right time of day... well, you'll see for yourself why it's called the Ember Sea."

"Wow, that sounds really cool." Tiff mused.

Tiff had always loved the ocean. If anything, that's one of the things back home she missed the most.

Eventually, the river began to turn and follow the flow of the land downhill, cascading along the sharp, jagged rocks of the riverbed. Then, the sound of waves crashing in the distance and the eager squawking of seagulls reached their ears. The air began to smell salty, and slowly, the grass on the steep hill the group traversed melded into the earth, eventually changing into white sand.

Now that they had finally reached the coastline, the sea breeze began to pick up. There was a high, sheer cliff separating the beach from the grasslands and woods further inland. The coastline of the Ember Sea was dotted with large chunks of driftwood and dried up foliage from the ocean waters. The river that they had been following ran through a shallow, sandy trench and into the sea. Everyone dismounted the horses, some far more grateful to be off the large animals then others.

"You people really ought to think about different modes of transportation around here!" Knuckle Joe groaned, trying to walk off the numb feeling in his legs.

His small body wasn't designed for riding on those large creatures and he was feeling stiff.

"Horseback is the best way to travel in these parts." Neo huffed, giving Tank a pat on her neck.

"That's what you say, furball."

Both Neo and Kautounie gave Knuckle Joe a surprised look. Ballsy, that one was.

"Tourists..." Geoffrey muttered jokingly, earning a very harsh glare from the little fighting elf.

The rogue thought back to that old saying, 'If looks could kill'. Well, if they could, he would have dropped dead where he stood. Kirby meanwhile, was eager to explore the sandy beaches while Tiff strode towards the tide.

"Don't wonder off too far, either of you!" Kautounie called out, "There's not much in the way of cover along the coastline."

Kirby and Knuckle Joe waited by Tiff at the shoreline. Kautounie, Neo, and Geoffrey joined them, though Meta Knight perched himself on Gunner's back in order to get a better view. Sure enough, just as Neo had said, the sunlight struck the water at just the right angle, turning the blue water fierce red, like a bed of embers. It was as if the ocean had become lit on fire; it was an amazing sight to behold.

"Almost like the Orange Ocean back home." Meta Knight said, quietly, his eyes momentarily flickering a contented blue.

"Poyo, poy! Tiff, Joe!" Kirby called, closing his bright blue eyes as the sea spray caressed his face.

"Even I gotta admit, this is pretty amazing." Knuckle Joe sighed.

For a few moments, the group was able to enjoy and admire the beauty Horva had to offer. Hard to believe that with something so beautiful in this world, that Nightmare's evil was slowly beginning to taint it with his presence like a plague. Over the peaceful crashing of the waves on the shore, Meta Knight suddenly shouted out in warning, jumping off of Gunner's back and looking towards the cliff and steep hill they had just came from. As soon as he shouted, Kautounie, Neo, and Knuckle Joe had heard it too, as did Kirby. This was not anything the wild waters of the sea had to offer. Nope, more like a massive fireball spiraling straight towards them!

Kautounie and Neo both twisted around, summoning their Ice Shields to protect against the explosive flame while Meta Knight whipped out Galaxia and absorbed a fair amount into the sacred blade. However, with the sisters' shields weakened, the second fireball flung from the treeline on the cliff above scored a hit, exploding in the center of the group. The ice shields Neo and Kautounie conjured fractured and shattered, leaving the adventurers to the mercy of the flames.

Geoffrey let go of Gunner's reins as the startled horse reared up, sporting fresh burns and snorting angrily. The human was only grazed by the blast, though his mount had taken the brunt of the explosion. Kautounie wasn't faring much better.

"Where the hell did that come from?!" Geoffrey shouted.

"Poyo!" Kirby cried out.

"Meta Knight, guys!" Knuckle Joe called.

Tiff could now see what Joe had seen. A group of goblins charging down the hill, the same goblin bandits as a matter of fact, that Kautounie and Neo had scared off a few days back. (eight to be exact, but really, who stops to count in the middle of an ambush?!) This time they brought reinforcements. Rushing alongside the goblins but pulling ahead fast were several hell hounds, (ten if anyone was counting) molten maws wide open, each one scrabbling ahead of the other in order to make the first kill. Bringing up the rear of the assault were two robed figures on horseback. One appeared to be a human female, the other was a female zwetoock. The zwetoock may not have been a Bloodtooth, but she may as well have been.

Both riders were obviously the ones in charge, as they would hang in the back and issue orders to the goblins and hell hounds while flinging offensive spells into the fray.

Thinking quickly, both Tiff and Neo had cast their Group Heal spell, curing the fire damage that the team and even the horses had previously taken.

"It was only a matter of time!" Meta Knight growled as Galaxia glowed with fierce power.

"Alright, a real fight at last!" Knuckle Joe said confidently, smirking.

"I'll say!" Kautounie snarled, leaping onto Diesel's back in a single bound, taking the reins in one hand, and preparing a spell with the other.

Neo and Geoffrey had also mounted up on their horses, Geoffrey drawing his favorite hand gun while Neo went for Heartseeker. Both Tank and Gunner snorted with anticipation of the upcoming battle, stomping their sharp hooves in the sand.

"Ready Kirby?" Knuckle Joe asked.

Kirby nodded, then the fighting elf threw a Vulcan Jab for him to inhale. Thankfully the vortex didn't last too long, as Knuckle Joe had given it to the young Star Warrior at close range. In an instant, Kirby had transformed into Fighter Kirby! Meta Knight and Tiff stepped up beside Kirby and Knuckle Joe. The group lined up, ready to meet the opposing charge.

"Holy Nightmare has spoken!" the human occultist shouted, "These renegades refuse to bow down to our lord and master, therefore they must die!"

"If there is one thing I really hate, besides door to door salesmen," Geoffrey growled, taking aim, "It's religious wackos who force their beliefs on me!"

With that, he issued the first shot before anyone had expected it. The human occultist had a look of pure shock on her face, then from the distance, one could see the faint crimson pouring from the bullet hole in her forehead. It was quite an unceremonious end for the woman as her lifeless body slid off her startled horse's back. Well, one commander down.

"Nice shot..." Knuckle Joe complemented, with a hint of awe.

"Thanks!" Geoffrey said, tightening his grip on the reins as Gunner prepared to charge.

Despite the death of one commander, the goblins and hell hounds kept charging.

"Sundar, defend us in battle!" Kautounie shouted, before lobbing a crackling lightning bolt into the hoard of demon beasts.

The electrical charge made it's mark, slaying one of the hell hounds, leaving the distinctive ash and char behind from where he had once been, and causing a heavy amount of damage to one of the bigger goblins. Next was Neo's arrow, which pierced right through a different goblin's hide armor, right into the creature's withered heart, killing him in an instant. Tiff pulled out her wand, casting a familiar spell.

' _Mirria!'_ Tiff shouted.

It had been a while since Tiff had cast Magic Missile. At first she had only expected one faint dart of light to spring from Wicked's tip, but much to the young apprentice mage's surprise, two bright blue missiles flew fourth at her command, one causing a hell hound to stumble and become trampled by his own cohorts, the other heading for the enemy zwetoock. The mounted commander dismissed the spell with a flick of her hand, and shot the child a very filthy look before galloping down the battlefield, issuing orders.

"YEAH-HA!" Geoffrey shouted as Gunner neighed and reared up.

The Redsun sisters shouted in the zwetoock tongue, before spurring their horses forward. Now the battle was really on.

Fighter Kirby and Knuckle Joe joined the riders with Meta Knight in their own charge. Even as small as they were, they kept pretty good pace with the horses. Knuckle Joe and Fighter Kirby both started lobbing a barrage of Vulcan Jabs into the first attack wave. The goblins had no idea what had hit them, and they didn't have much time to ponder. Meta Knight unleashed the fire he had stored away in Galaxia's blade, slaying two goblins, and leaving another badly hurt. Although the hell hounds bounding ahead were immune to the fire, the demons tried to avoid the blue warrior, as they could feel the positive energy pulsing from his sacred sword.

The other half of the demon beasts were trampled by the Redsuns, and if the horses didn't get them, the bullets, spells, and arrows did. It was quite a sight, how the horses they trusted and rode, that were usually placid and calm, (if a little stubborn at times) were fighting just and fiercely as their riders. In a furious rage, Diesel reared up and kicked a leaping hell hound down into the sand. Fire poured from the injured demon's maw as it attempted to fight back. With a single command from his rider, Diesel began to stomp and pound the hound into the ground until it burst into flames. The powerful stallion reared up again in a threatening display to any would-be attackers.

"Good work, Diesel!" Kautounie shouted, taking Matilda off her back and firing at two more hell hounds, "That's my boy!"

Tiff remained at a distance, assisting with a magic missile or a healing spell. Though she kept alert, and a good thing too. One of the hell hounds managed to break off from Knuckle Joe and headed straight for her. The beast's mouth opened as it prepared to breath fire, only to be taken from behind by Fighter Kirby. The beast yelped in pain as Fighter Kirby repeatedly hit it with his own Smash Punch attack. It twisted around to turn it's flames on the pink warrior, only to fall to Tiff's well timed magic missile.

"Poyo! Tiff!" Fighter Kirby cried out, before charging back into the fray, knocking a goblin to the sand as he moved.

Two of the goblins, one of them badly burnt but still kicking, lunged for Knuckle Joe. Apparently with hell hounds for back up, the goblins' natural hatred for elves (or elf-like creatures) outweighed their fear of the zwetoocks. They attacked Knuckle Joe in a vicious flurry, one wielding a short sword and spiked shield, while the other tried to skewer him on the end of a jagged spear. The fighting elf dodged both attacks, answering back with a Spin Kick. But, despite their crocked builds and clumsy appearance, goblins were actually quite fast. The spin kick had landed a hit on the sword user, but the one with the spear rolled out of the way, grabbing a handful of sand as he did, and threw it into Joe's eyes.

"AH!" the Elvin fighter cried, momentarily blinded.

"Poyo, Joe!" Fighter Kirby shouted, throwing a Vulcan Jab at the opposing monsters to protect his friend.

Fighter Kirby's punch landed, though with a last act of defiance, the goblin thrust his spear into Knuckle Joe's shoulder before collapsing. The fighting elf seized up in pain. He hadn't been expecting that to happen.

"Knuckle Joe!" Tiff called.

She began preparing a group heal spell again, just as a stray hell hound blindsided her, knocking her to the sandy ground. While frantically trying to right herself, Tiff failed to realize that her attacker knocked Wicked aside and out of her reach with a swipe of it's paw. When she could finally see the hell hound, it had a few brightly colored arrows sticking out of it's body. Perhaps it was tired of taking on a mounted archer and thought Tiff would be an easier target.

The demon spat a few scorching embers from it's mouth, singing Tiff's robes and skin painfully. Tiff could now see her wand, lying in the sand and out of reach, but with the hound pinning her to the ground, there would be no way she could get to it before the monster fried her. So, it was time for plan B.

"Stupid dog!" Tiff growled, using her free hand to cast Dazzle.

Confused and blinded by the ultraviolet flash, the hell hound began furiously scraping at it's eyes with it's front paw, giving Tiff enough time to grab the special knife that Geoffrey had given her before they set out. Sure enough, she still had it in her. With a single swing, she used the brass knuckles on the knife handle and belted the savage dog off of her. The hell hound also bore a fresh cut from where the knife blade had made contact.

With a snarl, the hell hound made to attack again, only to be shot dead as Geoffrey and Gunner galloped past. The beast yelped, then burst into flames.

"Are you alright?" Geoffrey asked, before taking another shot at a goblin that had gotten uncomfortably close.

"I'm fine, but Knuckle Joe's been hurt!" Tiff shouted, snatching up her wand from the sand.

While Tiff set about healing Knuckle Joe, she couldn't help but notice that the ring on her hand glowed slightly. Why? She didn't know, nor did she have time to ponder the mystery.

Neo rode across the battlefield on Tank as fast as the mare would carry her, firing arrows from Heartseeker, felling one more goblin and a hell hound. Two of the few remaining hell hounds breathed their fiery breath at both Neo and her horse. In a fearless and daring act, Tank jumped over the inferno while her rider let another arrow fly through the air. There was a yelp, and the hell hound burst into flames.

"Wow... that was dumb... good show, anyway..." Neo gasped, eyes wide.

Since the demon beasts' numbers had dwindled greatly since the battle began, the remaining enemies were nearly forced into retreat. But something was missing. Where had Meta Knight disappeared to during the chaos?

 **IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~**

Meanwhile, the zwetoock commander watched as her soldiers were cut down. She knew what she had to do. Her soldiers may get caught in the blast, but at this point, she really didn't care. The mage began forming another fireball to lob into the battle. But as she focused on her spell, she failed to see the masked knight swooping in from the air.

Without any warning, the mage was suddenly knocked from her horse and onto the ground. A sharp pain ripped and twisted through her shoulder. Her spell, now ruined, fizzled into nothingness. The frightened horse reared up, then fled, ignoring the calls from his former mistress. Meta Knight landed in front of the downed sorceress, his wings folding and transforming back into his cape. Galaxia's tip was coated in a fresh layer of crimson.

"You!" The zwetoock snarled, pointing her clawed finger at him with great despise, "Her ladyship told us about you, Untamed One. You must die!"

With a flick of her hand, she sent a wave of four magic missiles at the blue warrior, each dart of light scoring a hit. Meta Knight grunted, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. The mage took this opportunity to get to her feet, but to her horror, the one remaining hell hound sped past her as it fled up the hill, away from the other Dreamlanders and Redsuns, yelping pitifully. Now she realized that she was all alone.

 **IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~**

"Well, that's the last we'll see of those mutts!" Neo growled, surveying the broken corpses and piles of ash that now littered the once pristine beach. "...For now, anyway."

"Yes, that's all fine and good..." Geoffrey said, looking around.

"But..." Kautounie continued.

"What happened to Meta Knight?" Knuckle Joe finished, as Tiff helped cure his injury, "One minute he was with me and Kirby, then the next..."

"Poyo, poy-Medi Kni!" Kirby cried out.

Before Knuckle Joe could finish what he was saying, out of seemingly no where, a frightened, riderless horse galloped past the group, the same bay stallion that the zwetoock commander had been riding. Kirby pointed to the hillside where they had first come onto the coastline. There was the strong glint of sunlight on gold and steel plate armor, along with several blasts of bright light and shouts and cursing in the zwetoock tongue. Now they could see that Meta Knight was engaged in battle with the zwetoock commander.

"I have an idea of where he might be." Kautounie muttered, as she mounted up on Diesel, "Neo, Tiff, stay with Joe. Kirby, hop on..."

"But..." Tiff stammered.

"Right now we're needed here with Knuckle Joe, Tiff." Neo explained.

"Poy...Joe, okay?" Kirby asked, glancing back to his friend with concern.

"Kirby... go help out Meta Knight!" Knuckle Joe said with a smirk. "I'll be fine. Tiff and this furball here will take good care of me."

With a determined 'poyo', the pink puffball jumped up on Diesel behind Kautounie. As the three of them galloped down the beach to Meta Knight's aid, Knuckle Joe shouted after them, "Hey Kirby, get that Nightmare worshiping bastard for me, would ya?!"

"Poyo...get them, Joe!" Kirby called back.

"I do like that kid..." Geoffrey muttered.

 **IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~**

Meta Knight let a grunt of discomfort escape his mouth as sharp claws raked across an unarmored portion of his body. The zwetoock mage he battled wasn't faring too much better, considering one hand was holding onto the nasty shoulder wound caused by Galaxia.

"Surrender!" Meta Knight ordered.

"Never! Servants of Holy Nightmare do not surrender! Especially to a Star Warrior!" she shouted, "We fight to the death!"

"Then it is death you shall receive!"

With those words, Meta Knight unleashed a powerful mach tornado, completely taking the mage off guard. She yelped, barely able to set up a shield to defend herself from the ending of the star warrior's attack. The zwetoock gasped in a pathetic way, limping backwards and stumbling onto the ground. Meta Knight became suspicious. Zwetoocks don't usually act this way.

"What are you doing, cultist?" he asked, pointing Galaxia at the creature's throat.

The zwetoock had a look of pure terror in her red eyes, then it turned into that of deceit. In the blink of an eye, she pushed Galaxia away with a surge of telekinetic force, then grabbed onto Meta Knight's shoulder, and would not let go.

"What does it look like, Untamed One?" she snarled, letting her spit fly into his face.

Meta Knight gasped and seized up. It was as if his very life force was being drained out of him. As weakness consumed him, the stronger and healthier his opponent became.

The occultist mage glanced up once the sound of hooves pounding on sand became uncomfortably close. With a hiss, she let go of Meta Knight, who wasn't faring too well at this point, then began weaving her next spell upon the sight of her new challengers.

"Poy-poyo, Medi Kni!" Kirby cried.

"Yo, she bitch, come and get some!" Geoffrey challenged, taking a shot at the rival female zwetoock.

The mage summoned a shield and deflected the bullet with a flick of her hand. But, while she was distracted, Meta Knight still had enough fight left in him to hamstring the canid, sending her to the ground, for real this time. The zwetoock cultist howled in agony as Galaxia's sacred fires burned throughout her whole body.

"Poyo...Medi Kni...you...!" Kirby growled, jumping off Diesel's back.

With Winterclaw stored inside his stomach, Kirby activated his Sword Ability. The mage fought back, summoning a quarterstaff of knotted wood. She scored a couple of hits, then Winterclaw cleaved through her staff and landed it's mark, piercing the mage in the abdomen. Before she could recover, Kautounie and Geoffrey sealed her fate with a powerful lightning bolt and gunshot respectively, at point blank range.

The Redsuns dismounted their horses while Meta Knight and Kirby approached the badly wounded zwetoock. Just to make his point much more clear this time, Meta Knight pressed Galaxia's blade into her throat, drawing a little blood in the process. Uncertain, Kirby stayed close to his mentor, Winterclaw in hand.

"Just kill me now. It... will be far more merciful... then what his lordship will do to me when he learns I have failed him." she sputtered, coughing up blood in the process.

"Why should we ease your passing?" Kautounie growled. "Why not just leave you here as you are to die slowly and painfully?"

The occultist only smiled, her teeth stained with blood, "There are so... many others out there, others like me, but far... more powerful. You have no... idea what you're digging yourselves into," she warned, eying each of the warriors in turn, her sharp, cruel gaze landing on Kirby last. Meta Knight's guardian instincts began to creep back into him as he motioned to Kirby to take a step back. This only made the dying zwetoock grin all the wider.

She laughed, spitting up more blood as she did, "What... a cute little cub you've... got, Untamed One,... I hope you... raise him... to... be just like you!"

With a look of pure hatred in her eyes, she lunged for Kirby and snarled, ultimately forcing Meta Knight to slaughter her. They weren't doing it fast enough, it seemed. Figures, Nightmare's minions, taking the easy way out, the cowards.

Kirby shrank back a little, watching the blood pour from her cuts and stain the sand and grass under her now lifeless body. He still had to get used to that, but it didn't make it any more pleasant.

"Poy...poyo, Medi Kni? Wh-what did... she mean?" the young warrior asked, "Just like you?"

"Is she just blabbing about your wings again, Meta Knight?" Geoffrey asked, "Not that there's anything wrong with that, I think your wings are awesome."

"Geoffrey... shut up..." Kautounie muttered, noticing the elder puff's uneasy posture.

Meta Knight sighed heavily. He knew it was a risk to use his wings in front of his companions a second time, though he had been hoping that since the others were fighting off the goblins and hell hounds, no one would have seen them. Untamed One, she called him. Just another reminder of a tortured past he'd rather not remember. At least he could take comfort in knowing she couldn't torment anyone any more.

"Come, let us join the others." Meta Knight growled bluntly, turning away and walking down towards the shoreline where Tiff, Neo, and Knuckle Joe waited.

Boy, that old warrior sure had a way of changing the subject in a hurry.

Worriedly, Kirby followed after his master while Kautounie and Geoffrey loaded up the carcasses of both commanders onto their horses before regrouping with the rest of the team.

 **IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~**

"Meta Knight, are you alright?" Tiff asked.

"I'm fine!" Meta Knight growled, in a clearly irritated tone.

"Could have fooled me..." Knuckle Joe muttered.

The others just couldn't understand. No, it would be impossible for them too. But then again, this could be exactly what Nightmare wants. Meta Knight was the most powerful warrior in the group and he is Kirby's mentor. Should he start distancing himself and cutting the others off... Meta Knight shuddered at the thought, his eyes flashing an ugly red for a brief second.

"I-I'm sorry Tiff. I'm just... tired..." Meta Knight admitted, though it was really only half the truth.

"It's okay. We've all been through a lot." Tiff said.

"Well, lets see here," Neo sighed as she gave the old warrior a quick once over, "there's some residual arcane energy, quite negative I should say. If I had to guess, I'd say that flea-bitten hag nailed you with a siphon. It would explain why you feel the way you do."

"Is there a cure?" Tiff asked.

"Most people don't live long enough after a siphon is cast to receive healing. However, he'll need to rest and regain his strength, which will mean a good night's sleep. Tomorrow he should be just fine."

At first, Meta Knight was compliant, then he realized what that meant. And just at the moment he realized it, so did Tiff and Neo.

"That means no training tonight, Meta Knight!" Tiff and Neo said in unison.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, tilting his head curiously.

He approached his mentor, now that he was calmer, and was surprised when the elder warrior wrapped his cape around him, the way he knew Kirby liked it. Neo and Tiff both mentioned to Knuckle Joe to just turn and look the other way.

"What happens on the road, stays on the road," Tiff sighed.

"Meta Knight doesn't want word getting out that he's a softy hiding under a tough exterior." Neo added.

Knuckle Joe smiled and nodded.

"I heard that..." Meta Knight barked, his golden gaze narrowing.

Kirby contently ignored the exchange, nuzzling against his mentor's side.

A search through the goblins' belongings yielded a few gold dragons and silver shanks, but that was about all they had of value on them. Their weapons were crude and sloppy, like most things goblin made, and their armor, even worse. There was nothing left to search of the hell hounds, not that they carried anything with them. However, the two mages had something. Not only were there the horses, a bay stallion and paint mare, which Kautounie had rounded up while Neo and Tiff took care of Meta Knight, but they had a lot more money, and two spell books for the three mages on Kirby's team to go through. The human female and zwetoock both wore amulets, replicas of the medallion Nightmare wore around his neck.

"Religious fanatics, eh?" Geoffrey muttered, holding up one of the amulets.

"You and the sisters seem to be quite faithful to this... Great Dragon you praise." Tiff pointed out.

"Yeah, but do we shove our beliefs on you?"

"Eh..." was all Tiff managed to get out while she nervously scratched her head.

When Kautounie cast her detect magic on the two medallions, they both glowed with arcane energy, so for now, they kept them. Along with the medallions and spell books, there was some mundane jewelry, a silver bracelet and a sapphire ring, non-magical, but still, valuable to the right buyers, and a small, curved knife that Geoffrey had a hard time taking his eyes off of. It glowed in the radius of Kautounie's detect magic spell, so he decided to hold onto it for now. Then there were the canteens in the captured horses' saddlebags. It glowed slightly in the detect magic radius, like what a potion might do, although it wasn't like any potion the Redsuns had ever seen. This stuff fizzed like soda pop, and the Dreamlanders were quick to identify the mystery drink.

"What was a zwetoock doing carrying Pep Brew?" Meta Knight mused.

"You know what this stuff is?" Kautounie asked, taking another sniff of the Pep Brew.

Meta Knight nodded.

"We use it in Dreamland. It's similar to those healing potions you have here."

"We'll take it then," Geoffrey said, "Not only is it a healing agent, you could make some damn good mixed drinks with that stuff."

After the spoils had been sorted and packed, Geoffrey piled up the goblin carcasses while Kautounie set about delivering her own message to Nightmare. She had taken two of the goblin spears and stuck them in the ground. Then without a second thought, lopped off the heads of both commanders and stuck them on the spear tips before throwing the rest of their remains on the pile.

Usually tenacious and tough, Knuckle Joe looked a little uneasy at the grizzly sight.

"Just don't watch..." Neo suggested, aided by a nod from Tiff, "But it is a pity to waste all that good goblin meat, I'll admit..."

Before leaving, Kautounie lobbed a small fireball of her own onto the stack of dead bodies, setting them ablaze. Already, hungry seagulls were attracted by the smell and hastily swooped down. Hopefully Holy Nightmare would get the message loud and clear.

"Alrighty then, where were we?" Geoffrey asked, casually.

By now the sun was beginning to set, though the group wanted to get as far away from the battlefield and smell of blood as they could. After about an hour or so at an easy pace, everyone began to relax again. The ocean's natural rhythm had a way of doing that. Knuckle Joe, Kautounie, Neo, and Geoffrey opted to walk, while Tiff practiced her riding skills on the black and white paint mare they had taken from their assailants. Meta Knight was riding on Gunner, with a sleeping Kirby seated in front of him.

Instead of dwelling on what that crazy occultist had told him, Meta Knight thought back to Tamoko Redsun's words. Every day it seemed more and more true. Eventually there would be no reason to deny it. But he couldn't let the others know... then again, they already knew.

"You battled bravely, my young warrior," Meta Knight whispered as his apprentice cuddled up to him.

Nervously, he took a quick look around. Good, everyone was facing the other way.

"Every day you grow stronger. I'm proud to be your teacher."

When the sun was almost down, the group finally stopped to set up camp. There would be no training tonight, but all things considered, everyone had a workout that day. Kautounie had offered to take the first watch, since Meta Knight had fallen asleep while riding with Kirby. Tiff was quite concerned, as Meta Knight didn't do this normally, but Neo had told her that it was just the lingering effects of the spell that he had been hit with earlier, and that he would be back to his old, stoic and cold self by morning.

"Those two must be exhausted." Knuckle Joe commented, glancing to the sleeping forms of the two star warriors.

"We've all had a busy day, Joe." Tiff said, yawning after wards.

"I'll say." Geoffrey agreed, stretching out by the fire to get more comfortable, "Kirby didn't even wake up for dinner."

Before going to bed that night, Tiff, Neo, and Kautounie poured over the spell books, seeing if there were any new ones that they could learn. There was a spell for summoning hell hounds, though none of them felt comfortable using that. There was Fireball, a classic among the elemental mages, that both Neo and Kautounie already knew, but Tiff was quite interested. Most of the spells written down were ones that the girls already had and knew, a couple healing spells, Magic Missile, and Fire. But then Tiff came across a few new ones, like Siphon, which Neo had mentioned earlier. Although you had to be close to your target to use it, it could be handy in a pinch. There was also Water Breathing, which as the name implies, would let the caster and all affected to be able to breath under water. Considering where they were, that one could come in quite handy as well. Another interesting one was Waterproofing, which was also self explanatory. Then there was Whirlpool. Whether or not the spell would work on dry land or only in the water, wasn't listed. Well, only one way to find out! Perhaps with rested minds, they could study some more the next morning before taking off.

 **IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~**

Morning came very brightly and much to soon as far as some were concerned. Kautounie and Neo both fought to get up before the other, only to realize that Tiff was already wide awake, copying down some of the new spells in her spell book, just as Kautounie had showed her to not that long ago.

"Morning!" Tiff greeted, brightly to the two sisters.

"She was up before I was!" Geoffrey muttered, as he tended the small campfire.

"Here you go, I'm already done." Tiff said, handing the sisters the two spell books.

Now that they had what they needed out of both books, perhaps they could be sold for a hefty profit in the next city or town they came too.

Meanwhile, Meta Knight was awake and well rested, staring out into the ocean. He didn't even seem to notice Kirby by his side, hungrily devouring his breakfast. Once he had enough, Kirby smiled up to his mentor. For such a powerful warrior, the child really had adorable smiles.

"Medi Kni... feel better?" Kirby asked.

"Yes, little one. Much better..." Meta Knight sighed, trailing off into deep thought, "Family always makes me feel better..." he whispered to himself.

No, NO! What was he saying?! That was too attached! He couldn't let that happen. And it wasn't just Kirby, he had always liked Tiff, even though he never dared admit anything of the sort. But now, with every passing day, the Redsuns were growing on him, even when their antics irritated him. Then there was Knuckle Joe. He reminded Meta Knight so much of his old friend, Jecra. After loosing so much in the past, this crazy adventure they were all on slowly began to bring back that which was buried deep within his heart. Part of him was scared, and didn't want to like these people, for fear of loosing them and never being able to heal again. But the other part wanted nothing more then to embrace his friends, his students,... his family.

"Poyo...Medi Kni... say family?" Kirby asked, looking up to the elder with a suspicious glint in his eye.

Meta Knight snapped out of his thoughts, glancing down to his pupil, wide eyed. He heard that?! Unexpectedly, Kirby snuggled up to the older knight, letting out a soft, contented chirp.

"N-no, young one. Go, go get Knuckle Joe up, we'll be leaving soon." Meta Knight said, quickly. "Go on, get..." he added, trying to sound like his usual blunt self, though there was a hint of endearment at the child's antics.

Kirby laughed playfully. He heard what Meta Knight said, and the elder warrior knew it.

Once everyone was up and had eaten, camp was packed and the team moved on down the coastline. Tiff continued to ride the paint horse, which she had rechristened, Gyaroppu, since that morning. Kirby was seated in front of her, enjoying the cool morning sea breeze. The mare seemed to take quite a liking to her new riders. Knuckle Joe had taken the bay stallion, even though Kautounie did recommend to him that he may want to hold off on riding by himself until he had become more experienced. At least he no longer felt so weird riding behind Kautounie. That damn tail of hers had a mind of it's own!

Meta Knight was perfectly content to sit behind Geoffrey. Had it not been for the lingering worry about his ship and crew, he would have enjoyed being on this planet much more. Perhaps once this fiasco was over, he'd have to take a longer stay.

The farther west down the beach they rode, the warmer it became. Already the sun was high, heating up the sand below them. For the time being, it was very pleasant, but one could not afford to get too comfortable. If anything, yesterday had taught them that.

"Perhaps at this pace, we'll make it to that little surfer town, Portside, by nightfall." Geoffrey suggested.

"Oh, that would be great." Neo said. "I love the way surfers talk!

"Always sounded a bit funny to me..." Kautounie muttered. "To much peace and love, not enough violence..."

"I wont have any surfer dudes hitting on my ladies!" Geoffrey exclaimed.

Sure, there may not be much time for fun and games, but after spending several nights in the wild, a room at an inn would be a luxury. And they certainly had enough money for it now!

Just to make sure they were heading in the right direction, Tiff pulled out the Star Piece, which glowed brightly, even against the light of the sun shining above them.

"So that's what's left of Kirby's Warp Star, huh?" Knuckle Joe asked, a hint of pity and sorrow in his voice.

Kirby glanced to his friend and nodded slowly.

"We're hoping that maybe Masher might be holding onto the next piece." Tiff explained, "You and Kirby have beat Masher twice working together. This time, we can all work together to take that monster down."

Now Kirby's mood began to increase again. He didn't like to think about his broken Warp Star too much, almost in the same way Meta Knight was trying not to dwell on the Halberd.

So far, there were no signs of any travelers, hostile or otherwise, on the beach. Though that was strange. The Ember Sea in these parts was renowned all around Horva for having some of the greatest surfing waves on the planet. Surely they would be out here. Surfers may, by stereotype, be laid back and cool, but don't get in between them and a good time!

But, a little further down led them to believe that someone did ruin a beach goer's good time, and got away with it too. Floating in the water and slowly drifting towards shore was a surfboard with blood on it. Footprints in the sand showed that there was a scuffle, ending with the looser being dragged off towards Portside. Judging by the shoe prints beside the drag marks in the sand, it was probably the same sort of boots that the goblins they had killed the day before were wearing.

"Great..." Geoffrey muttered.

Knuckle Joe looked a little excited, like he always got before a fight. There was no mistaking it, he and Kautounie both could tell when a fight was coming. The team followed the cliff side that bordered the beach until early evening. Along they way, there was more evidence of attacks. Broken beach chairs, abandoned surfboards, torn beach towels, and of course, a lot of blood.

Finally, nestled into an alcove and illuminated by the light of the setting sun was the beach town of Portside. Part of the town was built on a boardwalk over the water, while the rest was built into the cliff side itself. Quite remarkable ingenuity for these people, really. On ether side of the town were two large lifeguard towers. But immediately, they could tell that something was wrong.

"Where are all the people?" Tiff asked.

Knuckle Joe and Geoffrey both dismounted to scout ahead, using the cover of the growing darkness to shield then from possible unfriendly eyes. Even still, that did little good, as once they approached the lifeguard tower, using it for cover, several crossbow bolts struck the sand at their feet, missing them by inches.

"Shit!" Geoffrey cursed, whipping out his gun and taking a shot at the already broken window on the tower.

"Vulcan Jab!" Knuckle Joe shouted, sending the small orb of energy after Geoffrey's bullet.

There was a pained squeal, and a blur of black and green fell out of the lifeguard tower and onto the sand in front of them. It was a dead bugbear, crossbow still clutched tightly in it's grasp.

"That's one bugbear who should have been fired a while ago! I thought lifeguards were supposed to save lives, not take them!" Geoffrey growled, kicking the corpse aside.

"You're insane, I hope you know that!" Knuckle Joe mentioned.

"Who's arguing?" Geoffrey asked.

Only now did they see the sentries patrolling the beach, each one armed with different assorted weapons. One was holding onto two chains, each one with a savage wolf-like beast at the end, and another that was riding on the back of a massive, not to mention, nasty looking boar. Banners bearing Holy Nightmare's sigil were being planted in the sand all around the town by much smaller goblins. However, there were no ships or boats to be seen, suggesting that these bugbears invaded from the neighboring forest along the top of the cliff. Not wanting to have their cover blown, Knuckle Joe and Geoffrey raced back to report their findings.

 **Author's Notes::** Time for a long one again! Thought I'd try out some scenery I've never really written before. The coastline. I described the Ember Sea coastline similarly to a place I went along the Oregon Coast, (The river pouring into the ocean) and my many trips to Whidbey Island, (All the large chunks of driftwood and the high, sheer cliffs.)

Anyway, a battle with religious wackos is to unfold. And before you start, NO, this is not a stab at religion of any sort. But lets face it, no one likes having religious fanatics coming after them, especially if they are trying to KILL you! However door to door salesmen can be just as annoying.

Moving on, the tough and stoic Meta Knight lets more of his soft side slip, and we have the set up for their next detour, Portside!

By the way, Gyaroppu is the Japanese name for the pokemon Rapidash. Way to cross my fandoms, eh?

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	20. Demons and Goblins and Bugbears, Oh My!

In You're Nightmares, Demons and Goblins and Bugbears, Oh My!

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, an Epic Undersea Battle Sequence, and did I mention Gore?

'Well, we made it to the Ember Sea! Unfortunately it's beauty is already being depleted by Nightmare's ever growing forces, as we have found out from yesterday. I knew that this wasn't just going to be a straight shot right into Harmony, but you can't blame a girl for hoping. If anything, at least we made some seagulls happy.'

The Thoughts of Neo Redsun

'Poyo! What... did poy- zwetoock mean by poyo, train him just like you? That's what she said to Medi Kni. Untamed One, poyo. Don't know, maybe it's that mean witch, Riley, being up to something... to take Medi Kni away from us!'

The Thoughts of Kirby

'Good kiddo, you're catching up fast! Now if you could just stop saying "poyo" every other word. What does that even mean? Anyway, long story short, we were attacked by Nightmare's minions yesterday and stomped the crap out of them. How many more are out there, who can say? But in this galaxy, anything is possible.'

The Thoughts of Geoffrey 'Redsun' Collins

'In all my travels as a monster hunter, I never thought anything could be as crazy as this! The people on this planet are just as insane as the world itself! Just yesterday, I was healed with sorcery by Tiff and that walking furball, Neo. And apparently it's those two sisters that have been teaching Tiff all that hocus pocus stuff. Last I remembered, she couldn't do that. I thought she looked a bit different, I just had no idea how much.'

The Thoughts of Knuckle Joe

'That vile creature has no idea... had no idea. Right now, there is so much on my mind you could write it all down and fill a book. My apprentice, my companions, my ship, and this place.'

The Thoughts of Sir Meta Knight

Knuckle Joe and Geoffrey both skidded to a halt, nearly startling their companions, save for perhaps Meta Knight.

"What's the matter with you two?" Meta Knight asked, calmly.

"Well, we now know what's happened to everyone here!" Knuckle Joe growled.

"Bugbears." Geoffrey said, "We just killed one that was using the lifeguard tower as a vantage point for sniping. But it's a good bet that there's a hell of a lot more of them around here!"

Kautounie and Neo both smirked, then licked their chops, "Good!" the sisters exclaimed.

"What? How can that be good?!" Tiff demanded, "Monsters have taken over the town!"

"It's getting close to dinner time, and I'm not passing up goblin meat this time!" Kautounie growled, her hand already reaching for the shotgun on her back.

Before Kautounie could leave for a one zwetoock massacre, both Geoffrey and Meta Knight pulled her back. It was way to dark to be going after goblins and bugbears this time of night, even for zwetoocks. It was well known that bugbears and goblins were nocturnal, and could fight much better in the dark. Plus, it was quite likely that there was an entire clan of these things settling in. They wouldn't have much to fear from just two zwetoocks, let alone just one. Annoyed because they were making sense, Kautounie rethought her one zwetoock massacre idea. Just thank Sundar an actual fight hadn't started yet.

Since it wouldn't be long until another bugbear found the body of it's dead comrade, Kirby and his team moved away from Portside, finding a small, natural cave to use as shelter to spend the night and make battle plans. There wasn't much in the way of cover around Portside, save for the cliffs, so no mater where they came from, odds were good that a guard patrolling the shore would see them.

"So how do we begin taking these things out?" Knuckle Joe asked.

"Lucky I brought this." Geoffrey mentioned, revealing the sheath on Gunner's saddle that had been cleverly concealed by the packs and gear he carried, "Remember that surprise I told you all about?"

The rogue revealed a sniper rifle, complete was laser scope. Already Kautounie began to look a bit jealous.

"What exactly is that?" Tiff asked, nervously.

"It's one of my sniper rifles, of course! Sadly, my favorite one, Black Beauty, is still on the... Halberd." the rogue groaned, feeling a little hesitant to say the name of Meta Knight's beloved warship around the elder warrior.

"I didn't know you gave your sniper rifle a name!" Neo quipped.

"Meh, just sort of thought of it now..." Geoffrey shrugged, "Anyway, while Joe and I were snooping around, I saw some formations in the cliff that I can use for a sniper perch, pick off the bastards from afar. I've been itching for a chance to bring this baby out under life and death circumstances."

Well, that's one way to do it. Kautounie and Neo thought about just chucking a few fireballs into the town, but then Tiff had to go and make sense again.

"What if there are still citizens trapped in there?" Tiff asked.

"Oh... right..." Kautounie moaned, disappointed.

Although not the brightest creatures, Bugbears were smart enough to realize that keeping prisoners alive was good for free labor and in some cases, entertainment. Odds were good that many of the townspeople were still alive, if just enslaved for the time being.

"Trust me, I thought about throwing a couple grenades in there... or set Bomb Kirby loose on them." Geoffrey admitted after a short pause.

"Poyo, Geoff?" Kirby muttered, his eyes narrowing.

"I didn't say I was!" Geoffrey said. "Just considering."

Okay, sniping from afar was a good strategy, but there had to be another way to get in undetected. Tiff suggested using Unnoticeability on themselves, but was reminded that unnoticeable did not mean unsubstantial, as their foot prints in the sand could be clearly seen by the sentries.

"Kautounie, Neo, Tiff, what about that Water Breathing spell you took from those occultists?" Meta Knight suggested, "Perhaps if we leave marks in the sand, and if I'm the only one capable of flight, we could take the water instead."

Now there was an idea. Most of the guards were gazing out towards the land, not the sea. And with the aid of that spell, there would be no worry about holding their breath.

"As long as we get to rid the galaxy of Nightmare's monsters, I'm in!" Knuckle Joe said, nodding.

"Well, I think Garna will be quite jealous of me," Geoffrey claimed.

"Why should that be so?" Meta Knight asked, curiously.

"She's always wanted to steal an entire town, and I'm going to beat her to it!" the rogue bragged, "It's like the master being beaten by the... apprentice." he added slowly, glancing from Kirby to Meta Knight.

"Poyo, yes, Geoff?" Kirby asked.

"That's all..." the human said, before making a bigger ass of himself, to which the girls laughed it up.

This night while they rested, two people rotated the watch and not just one. With such a large amount of monsters, both known and unknown lurking about, they couldn't be to careful. Sure, this cave was no room at the inn like they had been hoping for, but it was better then being out in the open with so many demon beasts on the prowl.

Kirby and Meta Knight were the first ones to share watch duty this evening. The waves of the Ember Sea could be heard crashing on the shore, and the light of the moon and stars glittered on the water's surface.

"Medi Kni, you still worried?" Kirby asked, quietly.

"You have no idea, little one..." Meta Knight sighed, holding his cape more tightly around his body..

Kirby cuddled up to his mentor, sensing Meta Knight's uneasiness. Although the suborn old knight didn't want to admit it, this always made him feel better. Smiling gently beneath his mask, the elder warrior wrapped a fold of his cape around the smaller pink puffball.

"Don't you go taking a nap on me, now. We wont be relieved for a couple hours yet." Meta Knight warned, "Really, I need to get you one of your own..."

Kirby looked up to his mentor with endearment. The elder warrior chuckled to himself, then continued his watch, Kirby at his side. Well, they all knew that this trip wasn't going to be smooth sailing. Adventures hardly ever are. But, as the Redsuns would say, that's what makes it fun!

*The Next Morning*

"Rise and shine, guys." Kautounie announced, in the sort of tone that told everyone that she was growing impatient.

The smell of the goblins had reached her nose, it was time to attack!

Kirby, Knuckle Joe, and Meta Knight slowly opened their eyes, prying themselves off the cold, sand covered stone floor. Knuckle Joe's mouth gaped open for a moment and his eyes widened. Neo and Kautounie both were hardly wearing anything, save for their jewelry, tribal war paint, and a loin cloth.

"What? We're going swimming, and we can't afford to be weighed down by anything we don't need." Neo explained, slinging Heartseeker and her quiver of arrows to her back.

"Besides, they're covered in fur." Geoffrey added.

"Yeah, but I just never expected those two overgrown furballs to be so... so damn hot!" Knuckle Joe muttered, hardly believing the words that were coming out of his mouth.

"Hmhm, you flatter me, Joe..." Kautounie smirked, flicking her tail and strapping a knife sheath onto her leg.

Sadly, as far as Kautounie was concerned, the only problem with Knuckle Joe was that he wasn't a zwetoock.

"Hey, those are my sisters!" Geoffrey exclaimed, his big brother protectiveness taking over.

Tiff wasn't as surprised when she saw Neo and Kautounie, since she had been in the Redsun's home inside the Crimson Woods. Zwetoocks were free spirits. Though, it was still a little unsettling to see the two canids nearly naked.

Tiff herself opted to put her old clothes back on, as her mage robes would only get in the way underwater, though she kept her belt and Wicked's sheath.

Kirby wasn't at all bothered. In fact he hardly noticed the change in the sisters' appearance. He simply wanted to eat breakfast before heading off.

Meta Knight didn't so much as bat an eye.

The plan was simple. Geoffrey would perch himself up on the rocks and snipe incoming combatants, Meta Knight would take to the skies to deal death from above, while Kirby, Joe, and the girls took a swim to sneak into Portside. Then it was just a matter of killing any demon beasts before they killed you. Simple, easy to remember.

Before leaving the safety of their cave, Tiff and Neo set about using the Waterproofing spell on everyone's weapons, particularly the guns and in Neo's case, her bow. With the use of that spell, they could use their distance weapons from the water just as effectively as though they were on dry land. Though the effects were not permanent, but it would last long enough to get the job done.

"Kirby, it is time for you to take charge, make me proud." Meta Knight said, his golden gaze looking down to his apprentice.

"Poyo... Medi Kni... I will!" Kirby answered, filled with determination.

Meta Knight wasn't going to be with him this time, at least not at first. Kirby had to take charge and guide his friends.

"You will be a great leader one day, Kirby." Neo said, encouragingly, "Perhaps my big sis could learn a thing or two from you and Sir Meta Knight."

"Hey!" Kautounie grumbled, overhearing Neo's remark.

"Come on, let's bag us some monsters!" Knuckle Joe growled, growing more and more antsy.

"Time to kick ass," Geoffrey began.

"And take names!" Kautounie finished.

"Lets do this!" Tiff growled, taking Wicked out of it's sheath, "Come on, Kirby!"

They walked down the beach a little ways, surveying their surroundings. Storm clouds had moved in since that morning, turning the sky deep, muddled gray. The ocean waters were becoming violent and choppy in the increasing wind. Geoffrey was leading Gunner, though the rest of the horses were left in the cave to keep them safe from prying eyes. They stopped roughly a quarter mile from the town. There were no sentries set up this far as of yet, so it was the best place to split off for the first phase of their plan.

"Alright, I'm gonna be perched on the cliff, facing towards town. I'll pick off the little gremlins as I see them." Geoffrey informed, adjusting the rifle on his back before mounting up on Gunner.

"They'll be focused on myself, and wont even see Geoffrey, and hopefully will not see you coming." Meta Knight added.

"We'll have to be careful, the ocean is never a safe place," Kautounie warned, "There's more then just plain old sharks in these waters."

"Be careful, you two!" Tiff said.

With a curt nod, Geoffrey galloped down the beach in great haste, while Meta Knight spread his wings and took to the sky. Now, Kirby, Joe, and the ladies were left to do their part.

"Alrighty then, lets get wet." Neo sighed, as she and Tiff both began casting their Water breathing spells.

After the spells were cast, no one really felt any different, and nothing had changed physically. The only way to know if it worked was to get in the water and find out.

Instead of using the spell's assistance, Kirby simply trotted to the shoreline and swallowed a mouthful of seawater. The pink puffball's appearance shifted, until his skin became gelatinous and sea blue, almost transparent. A golden crown with a swirl adorned his forehead, topped with a cresting wave.

"Ride the waves and cool down hot flames! Poyo!" Kirby announced.

"Water Kirby... haven't seen that one for a couple of years." Tiff mused.

"Kirby, you just come equipped to handle any job, don't ya?" Knuckle Joe asked.

"Hey, whatever works." Neo said.

The five of them stepped into the tide, though Tiff was a little unsettled by the chill in the water. She had been hoping since it was called the Ember Sea, it might have been a bit warmer. Though as near as she could tell, it was Winter in Horva right now. The Redsun sisters on the other hand dove right in without hesitation.

It was quite a sensation. The sea wasn't nearly as rough underwater, and the Water Breathing had worked like a charm, literally. It was just like breathing on land, just that they were underwater. Strangely enough, the water breathing spell also gifted them with visibility underwater, and the salt in the sea did not sting their eyes.

"Poyo, poy!" Kirby called, his voice slightly gargled by the sea.

"This-this is unreal!" Knuckle Joe exclaimed.

"This is Horva!" Kautounie said.

"Wow, I wish I had discovered this a long time ago!" Tiff gasped, sounding quite excited.

"We better get to that alcove, " Knuckle Joe grunted, "Better follow me, I know where to go!"

Since they hadn't actually seen Portside or it's layout with their own eyes, (it had only been described to them by Geoffrey and Knuckle Joe), Kirby and the girls agreed to follow after him. All things considered, it was a pleasant swim, save for the slight chill of the water. Oddly enough, the brightly colored war paint the Redsun sisters had painted on their fur wasn't washing off either.

Thankfully, they were left alone. Tiff glanced up to the water's surface, where she could faintly make out the outline of a patrolling guard. Then, without warning, the creature seized up, and fell into the tide. Possibly a victim of Geoffrey's sharp shooting.

They followed Knuckle Joe and he kept everyone within sight of the shoreline, though far enough away so that they wouldn't be seen by the guards patrolling on the beach. Slowly, the slopes of the shoreline began to turn, leading into the alcove Knuckle Joe was talking about. Now, although a bit shadowy, they could see the town's boardwalks and empty docks up ahead. So far, they had gone unnoticed.

"Better get ready." Kautounie warned, prepping a spell.

Neo armed herself with Heartseeker while Tiff reached for Wicked. Knuckle Joe and Kirby were always armed, no matter what, it seemed. Things were about to get interesting.

*Geoffrey*

Once he reached the cliff side with his chosen perch undetected, Geoffrey slid from his horse's back and hid Gunner behind a rock formation jutting out of the cliff. He made sure he had plenty of ammunition before scaling the dangerously sharp earth and rock, finally making it to his vantage point. The gunman laid down against the gritty stone on his stomach, taking the sniper rifle from his back and set up. With the use of the scope, he could see the guards patrolling the shoreline very clearly. They would be easy pickings, and he had a pretty good shot over most of the town itself.

Geoffrey could see Meta Knight, circling high above, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Opportune roughly translating to 'when the bodies start falling, come on down and do that fancy sword slinging!'.

The human breathed in deeply, relaxing himself. He waited a few minutes, in silence. The time was right. Geoffrey squeezed the trigger, sending his first bullet speeding through the air, landing it's mark right in a goblin's head. Before his first target had even fallen to the ground, the rogue set his sights on another, this one mounted on a massive boar. A single shot, and the goblin fell off his mount. The startled boar fled back towards the town.

"Alright, buddy, you're turn..." Geoffrey muttered to himself, readying himself to take another shot.

From his perch, Geoffrey could see his masked friend swooping down, taking out the monsters with Galaxia. But right now was not the time to admire the show. He needed to make sure that there were as few monsters as possible for when Kirby and the rest of the team launched their surprise attack from the water.

*Sir Meta Knight*

From the sky, Meta Knight could get a clear view of what was going on in Portside. Indeed, there were a few citizens down there, forced to labor like slaves in their own home while their bugbear tormentors cracked their whips. If there were more, Meta Knight suspected that they had either fled from the town or were incarcerated elsewhere. From what he could tell, the bugbears were attempting to turn this peaceful beach town into a seaside fortress. Bonfires were being burnt, and there was the wreckage of a few vehicles, possibly people that tried to escape and failed. Then his eyes slid to the cliff, where Geoffrey had perched himself. Meta Knight steeled himself, ready for the upcoming battle. He drew Galaxia, letting her heavenly power flow throughout his body, then he waited.

Finally, Meta Knight saw the first goblin sentry drop to the sand, dead, followed by his cohort mounted on the boar. That was the signal. With elegant grace, he pinned his wings back and dived, sword pointed outward and in front of him. The goblins and their beasts were looking around in a panicked frenzy as one by one, Geoffrey's bullets brought them down. They never thought once to look up.

Meta Knight twisted through the air like a drill, plowing into a Bugbear. The creature's hide and leather armor was no match for the star warrior's sacred sword. He squealed in agony, thick, black blood staining the sand where he stood. With a grunt, Meta Knight tore Galaxia from the bugbear's chest, then took off into the air again. An archer, who had witnessed the brutal kill, got down to one knee and fired. Meta Knight gracefully twisted around, slicing the projectile in half with a single swing. Hie eyes flashed red for a moment, only he realized that he didn't need to swoop down for another attack. The goblin archer had a stunned look on it's face, then slumped to the ground, a bullet hole in the back of it's head.

"Nice shooting, Geoffrey." Meta Knight mused.

*Kirby and Company*

Meanwhile, while Geoffrey and Meta Knight started the brawl from the land and air, Water Kirby and Knuckle Joe led the rest of the assault from the sea. They were close now. So far, they had remained unhindered... until now, anyway. Out of the shadows created by the boardwalks and docks, something could be seen, moving fast in the water, and it certainly was not something of theirs.

"What's that?" Neo asked, knocking an arrow into Heartseeker.

"Dead, that's what!" Kautounie growled.

With a wave of her hand, the water began to heat up drastically as Kautounie cast her Scald at the oncoming creature. There was a loud hiss, and the creature recoiled slightly, then slithered through the water faster, mouth wide open.

Now Kirby and Tiff knew what this thing was. King Dedede had ordered on of these things before, though his was a lot smaller, and much less frightening. The creature had a bloated, fish-like body with a long eel tail. It's body was covered in burgundy scales, though it's underside was much lighter in color. Inside it's mouth was a row of sharp, backwards pointing teeth. Knuckle Joe had seen this monster before himself as well, from his days as a monster hunter, just not quite so terrible. Apparently Riley had modified Susshi to her own liking.

On land, Susshi was near useless. It could clumsily move by sliding itself along, and had limited attacks. However, despite it's bloated appearance, in the water, it moved swiftly and with grace.

Half of Susshi's face was burnt from Kautounie's spell, and it only looked pissed. Susshi snapped for Water Kirby, it's sharp teeth missing by mere inches.

"Go for it's tail!" Tiff shouted, "That's Susshi's weak spot!"

Knuckle Joe lobbed an underwater smash punch, which made contact with it's target. But it appeared as though this beast was thinking for itself, as it moved in such a way that would make it's tail difficult to reach.

"Tiff, I think it can understand you!" Kautounie warned, sending another scalding jet of water from her hands.

Susshi retaliated, scraping it's teeth across Kautounie's arm. Snarling loudly, the elder zwetoock ignored the sting of the sea biting at her arm. This thing was at an advantage in the water. Even though able to see and breathe underwater, Tiff, Joe, and the Redsuns' movement was hindered. As the massive demon beast turned around for another charge, Tiff raised her wand, then sent two magic missiles right into Susshi's face, following up with a blinding flash of her Dazzle.

The beast screeched, violently thrashing about in a fit of rage. It's tail collided with Tiff as she attempted to swim out of the way, sending her to the rocky ocean floor. The girl righted herself, looking upwards to the fight that still raged. Then a shiny glint among the rocks caught her eye. Still a bit dizzy, she didn't have much time to ponder what it was, but it was small enough to fit in her pocket. Tiff grabbed the mystery object, then swam back to join the fight.

Meanwhile, Knuckle Joe and Neo split off from Kautounie and Kirby. Susshi was still blinded from Tiff's spell, making the front end less threatening. Neo fired an arrow, which thanks to the Waterproofing cast earlier, worked just as well in the water as it did through the air. She was rewarded with a pained scream from the beast, as the arrow had struck it's left eye. Emboldened by Neo's success, Knuckle Joe was next to attack.

"Vulcan Jab!" he called, pelting the creature's scaly hide, "Spin Kick!"

"Joe, I honestly think it doesn't care what you're attacking it with!" Neo pointed out.

While Neo and Knuckle Joe kept Susshi distracted, Water Kirby and Kautounie swam around to the creature's backside. Since Kautounie's movement in the water was hindered, she opted to use a knife, (the same knife that she found back in the asylum as a matter of fact) against the beast instead of her swords. Water Kirby on the other hand, his water ability allowing him free movement, spit up the Winterclaw sword. As soon as he did, the water around the ice blade became very cold.

"Care to do the honors Kirby?" Kautounie asked.

"Poyo, together!" Kirby answered.

Kautounie smirked. She liked the way this little warrior's mind worked.

Susshi, half blinded and dealing with an assault from the front, didn't stand a chance once Water Kirby and Kautounie reached it's tail and slid their blades down through the tail and up into the demon beast's spine. In the final throws of death, it roared, then fell limp and began to disintegrate as it drifted towards the bottom of the sea.

Once the beast was dead, they were rejoined by Tiff.

"Are you guys okay?" Tiff asked.

"We're fine... just a few minor flesh wounds." Kautounie groaned.

"Yeah, but we're running late!" Knuckle Joe pointed out.

The boardwalk! Right! Meta Knight and Geoffrey were probably wondering where they were right about now. From where they were, the swimmers could see something spherical swoop down, knocking a heavily armored goblin into the water. Kautounie and Neo glanced to Water Kirby, then nodded.

"Alright, this may feel a little bit weird..." Neo warned.

"What will?" Tiff and Joe both asked in unison.

"Fists and weapons ready, I hope," Kautounie announced, "We're just going to give you two a little push."

"How exa-" Tiff began, stopping when she realized that she was moving swiftly towards the surface.

But she wasn't moving a muscle! Knuckle Joe let out a yelp of surprise. Apparently he wasn't ready for it either. The Redsuns were also moving swiftly to the surface, their hands glowing with a strange, arcane force.

"Like this..." Neo explained, smirking.

With his Water ability still equipped, Kirby didn't need any extra help. Suddenly, all five of them burst out of the sea, making a graceful landing on the nearby dock, and startling a large hoard of goblins that had Meta Knight surrounded. A couple were knocked back by Galaxia, while another took a shot from behind by Geoffrey's sniper rifle.

"Smash Punch! Spin Kick!" Knuckle Joe shouted, taking out another of the monsters.

Water Kirby spat a geyser from his mouth, forcing another unlucky goblin off the dock and into the sea, while Neo fired an arrow at the last one.

Meta Knight panted heavily, a slightly annoyed look in his eyes, "What took you so long?"

"We were taking care of something!" Kautounie answered, jerking her head around as more goblins and bugbears poured out of the nearby buildings and charged, "Ugly!" she finished, pinning her ears back and snarling.

"Poyo, Medi Kni!" Water Kirby said, his eyes narrowing at the oncoming hoard.

"Just be happy we're here!" Knuckle Joe grumbled.

Having not been expecting the attack in the first place, the bugbears rushed about in an unorganized frenzy. Most set their sights on the intruders and ignored their prisoners for the time being, allowing the frightened citizens to seek shelter from the fight.

The monsters at the front began the attack by throwing hatchets and hand maces through the air. A few scored a hit, though they were merely annoying scratches. With a loud snarl, Kautounie deflected the next thrown assault with a quick blast of telekinetic force.

From the Dreamlanders' and Redsuns' position, this was the most optimum place to tear through their enemies. Most of the buildings were closer to the cliff, meaning there wasn't much cover the goblins could use to hide from Geoffrey's bullets. So far the human had done a pretty good job keeping the beasts thinned out. Any that were sent out to investigate were quickly shot down as well.

"To Hell with this!" Kautounie growled.

Kirby dropped his Water ability for the time being and inhaled Winterclaw, gaining his Sword ability instead, "Poyo, spin slash! Do a sword dive as your finishing strike! Poyo! It's all about the flourish!"

"You got it, little friend." Neo said.

The six of them lined up, Kirby and Meta Knight unleashing their Sword Beams, Knuckle Joe using Vulcan Jab, Tiff casting Magic Missile, and the Redsun sisters summoning their Chain Lightning. In all honesty, it was quite a spectacle to behold. Though the boardwalk they stood upon began to groan and splinter from the stress. Well, they never promised anyone that the town would be in pristine condition after they got through with it. Then again, the charging bugbears weren't in pristine fighting condition any more either. With the barrage of spells and special attacks, the hoard was cut down to size greatly, and any that were left, were quickly snuffed by Geoffrey from afar.

*Geoffrey*

Geoffrey could see Meta Knight alone on the docks, fighting with all his might. He would shoot any goblin that got far to close to the elder blue puffball, but there was just that one small thing that was bothering him.

"Come on, ladies, where the hell are you?" he muttered to himself, squeezing the trigger again.

Meta Knight was tough, but even he had his limits, and more and more enemies were springing out of their hiding places. Finally, he caught sight of five figures bursting out of the water near the docks where Meta Knight stood.

"Ah, there you are. Better late then never." Geoffrey sighed, squeezing off another round.

He was about to fire again, then he felt a slight tremble in the rock where he was perched. Then the rogue's eyes fixed on the assault, lead by Kirby's and Meta Knight's sword beams, and ending with the lightning bolts, courtesy of the sisters. It was truly beautiful. But he couldn't think about it for too long. Yup, there were a lot more bugbears to kill!

*Kirby and Company*

The team continued to fight their way further into Portside. They had already taken most of the boardwalk and docks, leaving a trail of smoldering, dead bodies in their wake. But, despite the massive combo attack, the monsters just kept on coming. Goblins, bugbears, great ugly wolves and massive wild boars, all fought to keep hold of the small town. Emboldened by their greater numbers, the bugbears and goblins did not display their natural fear of the zwetoocks either. Though they were clearly displaying their hatred for elves and many headed straight for Knuckle Joe first. That was a mistake.

Knuckle Joe and Kirby kept a good chunk of the beasts at bay, Joe using his Smash Punch technique, while Sword Kirby used the icy cold of Winterclaw. Meanwhile, Meta Knight had taken to the skies once again, swooping down on the archers that had perched themselves on the rooftops, or in places Geoffrey couldn't see them to shoot.

Tiff and Neo both kept their distance, the later of the two putting her bow away, deciding instead to try out that other water based spell they had discovered. Whirlpool. She began whipping her hand around in a circular motion, and the air around her paw-like hand became heavy, until a shimmering veil of water formed and began swirling around her hand, awaiting her command. Neo pointed forward, at a group of incoming goblins, one of whom was mounted on a boar. With a roar, the conjured whirlpool flowed across the boardwalk like a twister, bowling the goblins over, damaging them and forcing them into disarray.

"Cool." Tiff muttered, "I've got to try that one out myself."

"Tiff!" Neo cried out in warning.

A hulking bugbear stooped over the girl, a massive war hammer in his gritty hands. Neo reached for Heartseeker, only to be taken by five more goblins that had sprung out of no where and ruthlessly attacked her.

Tiff gazed up to her attacker. This bugbear was truly ugly, uglier then the zombie one she had seen back in Ravenwing Bog. The beast's animalistic red eyes glanced down to her hand for a second, filled with greed. It was then Tiff saw the ram-shaped ring on her finger glow again, this time, much stronger. Now call it a mage's intuition, adrenaline, or pure dumb luck. Tiff wasn't sure what she was thinking, but she screamed the first word that came to mind.

" _ARIES!"_

Upon shouting that word, an ethereal ram's head formed from out of the ring, and launched itself at the bugbear. The beast was knocked backwards across the docks, his armor and chest smashed in from where the ram's head had made contact with him. It quivered, spitting out it's last breath. Tiff was in shock. She had thought the ring looked neat and knew it was magical, she just had no idea how powerful it was.

During that time, Neo had managed to slay all her attackers, and just finished tearing out the throat of the last one.

"Now that was cool!" Neo commented.

Tiff nodded, but there wasn't much time to admire her discovery. The others would need their healing spells before the day was done.

Meta Knight landed beside Kirby and Knuckle Joe, assisting in taking out another ten or so bugbears. Now Portside's boardwalks and beach had been reclaimed. They continued towards the cliff face, where the other half of the town was built. Along the way, they passed by ransacked shops, restaurants, and dwellings along with a small clinic. If the poor, enslaved citizens were to survive, that might come in handy.

Then, just as their luck would have it, more of these monsters emerged from out of the cliff, many of them accompanied by giant wolves or mounted on boars. Some of these bugbears were dressed in nicer steel armor as opposed to the crude leather and hide armor of the lower ranking beasts they had been killing. As they strode forward, in a very organized order for such brutish beasts, the bugbears and goblins were chanting, "Chieftain Lurtzak, Chieftain Lurtzak, Chieftain Lurtzak!"

One bugbear, mounted on a huge, monstrous hyena-like animal stood out in particular. Not only was he striding down the streets as though he owned them, this one had ornate, custom armor, on both himself and his mount. Had he been on foot, he would have stood about nine feet tall. (Gives you an idea of how big his giant hyena is, huh?) In his hands, he carried a large spear with a silver tip that did not look like it had been made by goblin or bugbear. More then likely a trophy taken or perhaps it was given to him. Who knows? Who cares?

This was obviously the ring leader of the entire operation, Chieftain Lurtzak, as his troops kept chanting. It was only a matter of time before the battle would have drawn the clan leader out. The bugbear chieftain was accompanied by five guards, also dressed in steel plate armor and mounted on giant boars, armed with swords and spears.

"Poyo!" Kirby shouted in challenge, his eyes narrowing.

"Come on Geoffrey, where are you on this one?!" Neo muttered to herself, chancing a quick glance to the cliff where the human was still perched.

*Geoffrey*

The rogue cursed audibly, unable to get a clear shot. There were to many buildings in the way now. He couldn't risk firing. He could hit one of his own companions. Well, it was fun while it lasted.

"Shit!" Geoffrey cursed, strapping his sniper rifle to his back.

The rouge climbed down the ragged cliff, back down to where Gunner patiently waited for him.

"Come on, Gunner, it's time we get our asses over there."

Geoffrey jumped onto the horse's back, taking out his usual oversized handgun before galloping across the sand towards Portside.

*Down in Portside*

Well, if Geoffrey wasn't able to get a clear shot, then perhaps another six-way assault? Once again, Kirby and Meta Knight used their Sword Beams, the sisters unleashed their combined Lighting Bolt spell, Chain Lightning, Knuckle Joe used his Vulcan Jab, while Tiff used her enchanted ring this time, sending an ethereal ram's head into the fray this time around.

"Where did you learn to do that?!" Knuckle Joe asked.

"Eh, few moments ago, actually!" Tiff answered.

Another round of magnificent attacks, and two of Chieftain Lurtzak's guards fell, as did their mounts. But, much to their disappointment, the Chieftain himself had used his spear to block one of the oncoming sword beams, making it pass harmlessly through him.

"I was not expecting that!" Meta Knight admitted, his golden eyes widening in alarm.

"Damn it!" Kautounie snarled, firing off a blast from Matilda, nailing a few of the weaker goblins up front to get them out of the way.

It was clear that this Chieftain was not going to be a pushover of any sort. There was a reason he had remained leader of the clan. He and his cohorts began trotting, then charged forward, hollering and shouting loudly, brandishing their weapons.

Kautounie put her shotgun away, and crouched to the ground on all fours. She was preparing to take out these goblins the way Redsuns were taught to take them out, with her bare paws!

"Sundar, protect us!" Kautounie growled, ears pinning against her skull.

Neo crouched down as well, preparing to meet the oncoming charge. The two sisters snarled and snapped their jaws in a primitive and frightening display, showing their fangs.

"Medi Kni, you with me?" Kirby asked, looking up to his mentor.

Usually, it was Meta Knight who would tell Kirby to come with him. However, there was no mistaking the uncertainty in his apprentice's voice.

"Tell me like you mean it, young warrior!" Meta Knight said, holding Galaxia aloft.

"Medi Kni, are you with me?!" Kirby commanded, earning a nod of approval from his master.

"To the death!" Meta Knight answered.

Now Kirby was taking charge, like the Star Warrior that he was. They had gotten this far, there was no turning back now. One way or another, these monsters were going down. The giant wolves were released from their chains and sent in first. Answering their howls of blood lust, Neo and Kautounie both leaped forward. Knuckle Joe and Tiff took out three of the wolves, using a Vulcan Jab and Magic Missiles respectively. Kirby and Meta Knight charged side by side, their sights set on the leader.

 **Author's Notes::** After about 8 or so re-reads and editing, here's chapter 19 at last! Now then, to start things off, some of you might be wondering "What the hell is a bugbear?" Well, a bugbear is a goblinoid monster, similar to a hobgoblin only bigger and nastier, usually standing about seven to eight feet tall. They were briefly mentioned in previous chapters. Bugbers have a face that greatly resembles a bears, hence the name. My nerdy D&D infused mind decided to use bugbears because most people associate orcs (which are a widely used universal bad guy, I might add) with LOTR. But hardly anyone, save for nerds like me, would really know what a bugbear is. Bugbears are stronger, bigger, and in most cases, smarter then orcs, making them much more dangerous. Now that out first monster lesson is over, time for the second one, Susshi.  
In the anime, we only saw Susshi once, and to be honest, it was underwhelming. But, I figured something that's clumsy and near useless on land would probably be quite graceful and deadly in the water, which is why I though Susshi would be another good pick for a monster encounter.

The battle is heating up to a fever pitch. It's few against many. How's it gonna end? Well, you're just gonna have to wait for chapter 20, aren't you?

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	21. Calming the Storm

In You're Nightmares, Calming the Storm

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, Use of Powerful Medication, and a Clinic with the Loosest Dress Code in the Entire Galaxy.

It had seemed like all the fights this day were simply leading up to this one. The bugbear Chieftain, Lurtzak, had finally shown himself, accompanied by all the highest ranking members of the clan. Armored in black steel plate, carrying a powerful enchanted spear, and mounted upon a savage giant hyena, the clan leader issued his orders, sending his mounted and foot troops into battle.

Knuckle Joe and Tiff had already taken out a few of the giant wolves and foot soldiers, leaving Neo, Kautounie, Kirby, and Meta Knight to meet the charge head on.

"Just like we have trained, Kirby!" Meta Knight shouted.

"Poyo, Medi Kni!" Kirby called, leaping into the air to deliver a chilling strike from the Winterclaw.

Chieftain Lurtzak raised his spear to block the young warrior's strike. Taking this opportunity, Neo and Kautounie both pounced for the bugbear leader, only to be intercepted by two of his mounted guards as they took the strike for him. So this was how it was. Tiff and Knuckle Joe, pitted against the last of the mounted guards, with his surrounding wolves and underlings, and Meta Knight and Kirby were left to take on the leader. Meanwhile, Geoffrey was closing in as fast as Gunner would carry him across the sand.

*The Redsun Sisters*

Kautounie clashed against her armored assailant, nearly knocking him off his boar. In savage fury, the zwetoock began tearing into the bugbear with her claws, letting out the most horrible sounding snarls imaginable. She clung to the fiend, even as it attempted to pry her off using a serrated broadsword. Her claws found their way to the weakly armored portions of his body, particularly at the neck. The giant boar the bugbear guard was riding thrashed about and squealed wildly, mouth open for a bite.

Giant boars were no farm pigs. These things could be just as brutal, if not more so, then their riders. The boar twisted it's head around, then grabbed a hold of Kautounie's leg once her claws scraped downward across the bugbear's bloody armor as she slipped. Kautounie was showered in crimson and black blood, both the bugbear's and her own. The bugbear rider gargled a few times, unable to get any words out with a missing throat, eyes frozen in shock, as he slid from his mount's back and crashed to the gritty boardwalk below.

Now Kautounie had the boar to deal with, which had done a good job tearing up her leg, making movement difficult.

"Kautounie!" Neo called, chancing a glance away from her own fight.

Even with a badly injured leg, Kautounie was still putting up a fierce fight. Snarling, she raked her hind claws across the beast's neck, ignoring the pain pulsing throughout her body. The boar's sharp hooves scraped across Kautounie's body, attempting to pin her down for another bite. This time around, Kautounie surprised the beast, sending a blast of fuchsia colored flames right into it's mouth and face. Her own howls could be heard over the boar's pained squeals, right before she locked her jaws around the creature's throat and dug her claws into it's neck. Blood poured all around her, staining the zwetoock's chocolate colored fur scarlet. Finally, the great boar's squealing stopped, then it slumped to the ground, unmoving.

Neo wasn't quite as frightening as her sister, but she could still be quite a little fiend when she was pushed to it. Fangs bared, she attempted another bite on the bugbear holding her at bay while he tried to regain control of his boar. An offhanded Vulcan Jab from Knuckle Joe sent the creature into a frenzy, making this fight quite awkward and leaving Neo to bite a mouthful of metal armor (which, needless to say, doesn't taste very good). The enraged boar nearly tramped Kautounie while she struggled to her feet, and with a swing of it's head, the beast unwittingly nailed Meta Knight from behind, right when he was about to use his sword beam on the Chieftain.

"Son of a-" Neo began, amber eyes widening.

A steel gaunleted hand grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and threw her to the ground. Neo yipped in pain as she tumbled for a moment, coming to a stop when she slammed against the wall of a building, leaving her prone. For a second, her vision was blurry, but she could see the bugbear's massive meat cleaver of a blade raise into the air. His heels violently kicked his mount's sides, making it charge forward.

Three things happened all at once. First, Neo, with her vision still fuzzy, send a torrent of scalding water from her hand, splashing the bugbear rider right in his chest. The scald spilled trough the cracks and crevices of his steel plate armor, turning what was supposed to protect him into a cooking pot more or less. Second, a stray ram's head cast from Tiff's ring had missed it's intended target, but caused the charging giant boar to trip during it's charge, sending himself and his rider tumbling across the sand covered boardwalk with enough force to splinter the wood. And third, Geoffrey and Gunner finally made it to the brawl. (Hey, better late then never).

Tiff and Knuckle Joe both had quite a scare when loud gunshots rang through the air, then the sight of the black stallion and his rider leaping over them, stomping on a fallen goblin as he landed. Another shot, and both the boar and bugbear guard were finished.

"Are you guys-?" Geoffrey began, his horse skidding to a halt.

Then he saw Kautounie and Neo.

"Geoffrey, help the others," Neo moaned, staggering to her feet, "I'll... help my... sister."

Her nose began to twitch once it was filled with the scent of goblin blood once again. Despite her pain and injuries, the scent just smelled so good. It compelled her animalistic instincts to take over and rejoin the fight.

"Hey... I'm... still in this battle!" Kautounie snarled, though she was panting heavily and bled from numerous places.

With the smell of blood and death hanging heavily in the salty air, it drove the two zwetoocks into near madness. Even Neo, who was usually a gentle soul, was driven into the blood lust like never before.

Knuckle Joe and Tiff were struggling from their exhaustion, not to mention there was Kirby and Meta Knight, one of which wasn't faring to well. Gunner snorted and reared up, then at his rider's command, galloped back into the fight.

*Tiff and Knuckle Joe*

While Neo and Kautounie tackled the first set of boar riders, Tiff and Knuckle Joe had more then enough to keep themselves occupied. (Well, if that's what you want to call it.) They were kept busy by the seemingly endless waves of goblin troops and their wolves. When the monsters had attempted to intercept Kirby and Meta Knight, Knuckle Joe and Tiff intervened. The apprentice mage and fighter also had the last bugbear boar rider on their hands.

"Tiff, watch out!" Knuckle Joe warned, "Roundhouse!"

Taking her companion's warning to heart, Tiff ducked as the elf's energy wave from his roundhouse kick sailed over her, taking out the three goblins and giant wolf behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, then back to Knuckle Joe.

"Joe, behind you!" Tiff shouted unfurling her acid whip from Wicked.

The startled fighting elf twisted around, sending a barrage of Vulcan Jabs in every direction, making sure he didn't miss a single goblin. One stray sphere of energy struck the giant boar Neo was battling, sending the creature into an enraged frenzy.

Over the shouts and howls echoing throughout the battlefield, both Knuckle Joe and Tiff could hear Kirby shout, and could even see their little friend get flung across the ground, with enough force to splinter the wooden boardwalk.

"Kirby!" Knuckle Joe called, his breathing heavy from exhaustion.

"Hold on Kirby, we're-!" Tiff started.

She was distracted by the pounding of hooves on wood, at very close range. The last mounted guard spurred his boar forward, spear lowered and ready. Tiff's eyes narrowed. This ugly brute wasn't getting between her and her best friend.

"Tiff, see if you can use your hocus-pocus to keep that thing in one place!" Knuckle Joe said, "I'm gonna finish it off here and now!"

"Watch me!" Tiff growled, flicking her acid whip _._

She concentrated, then cracked Wicked through the air. The bubbling acid grew in length, entangling the beast's legs, following Tiff's mental commands, and sending the boar to the ground, trapping it's rider under it. Squealing in pain and confusion, the bugbear rider tried to pry Wicked off using his spear tip, only to discover that the acid began to eat through the steel. His boar kicked furiously, trying to get back to it's feet, mauling him further in the process.

Now it was Joe's turn. The spirited fighter charged forward, his fists glowing with power. He ignored the other beasts around him for the time being. Once he was close enough, he let it fly.

"RISING BREAK!" Knuckle Joe shouted, catching both mount and rider in the powerful uppercut before the bugbear could thrust his spear.

The bugbear's armor was little protection against Knuckle Joe's special attack, and having been weakened by Wicked, it was far to much for him. With final shouts of defeat, both creatures fell to the ground, dead. Knuckle Joe collapsed to one knee, panting heavily. Tiff recalled the acid whip back into her wand. She readied a healing spell, but was surprised by a sneaky goblin from behind before she could cast. The girl took a small cut on the arm and grappled with the beast for a second. She sprayed a small jet of acid from Wicked's tip, then raised her hand with the ram's head ring.

 _"ARIES!"_ she cried, summoning another ethereal ram's head.

Squealing with fright, the small goblin rolled out of the way of the spell, though it wasn't a wasted effort. The ram's head had made contact with one of the other boar's roaming about the boardwalk town, knocking it right off it's feet. Now snickering at Tiff since her ram's head missed him, the snide goblin moved in for another attack, then something caught his attention. A loud 'BANG' and a splatter of blood, and he was dead before he hit the ground.

Looking over, Tiff and Joe could both see Geoffrey, spurring Gunner as fast as the horse could possibly go, handgun blazing. He fired a few more shots into the other boar and rider that had been attacking Neo before Gunner leaped over the two of them. It could not be certain, but Tiff could have sworn Gunner was trying to avoid stepping on them, but apparently the powerful stallion had no qualms about stomping on goblins or demon beasts, as any that got in Geoffrey's way were trampled to the ground.

Geoffrey skidded to a halt, "Are you guys-?" he began, though his attention quickly turned to his wounded sisters.

Neo and Kautounie said something, but it was drowned out by all the noise from the battle, then the rogue turned to the two of them. There was no hiding the fact that they were tired. With a nod, Geoffrey turned his horse around. Gunner neighed and reared onto his hind legs, then galloped back into the battle. Using a good potion of her remaining stamina and strength, Tiff cast a Group Heal spell. Maybe, just maybe it could keep the others going.

"Hold on, guys!" Geoffrey shouted.

*Meta Knight and Kirby*

Meta Knight and Sword Kirby were forced back by a powerful swing of Lurtzak's spear. The leader of the bugbears sneered down at the two puffballs, thinking them unworthy challengers. They were so small compared to him, barely a snack for his monstrous hyena. Speaking of the beast, the hyena began cackling, in a haunting sort of way. It's soulless eyes fixed on Kirby, then with an order from his rider, the monster charged.

With the rest of the battles raging around them, Meta Knight and Kirby had to fight these two on their own. At least Tiff, Knuckle Joe, and the Redsuns had been doing a fair job keeping the remainder of the clan away from them.

Sword Kirby rolled out of the way of the armored hyena's attack. At his mental command, Winterclaw formed icicles along it's frosty blade, like a serrated knife. When the monstrous hyena lunged for another strike, it got a face full of ice. As the blade scraped across the beast's face, icicles broke off and lodged themselves into it's unarmored nose, causing intense, freezing pain. With a yelp, the fiend backed off, scraping at it's muzzle with it's two front paws in a frantic attempt to pull the ice out.

While Chieftain Lurtzak's hyena was thrashing about in it's pained fit, Meta Knight took this opportunity, leaping into the air and spreading his wings once again. The heavenly Galaxia stung the bugbear's flesh, though Meta Knight had a harder time just cutting through the Chieftain's well made armor.

"Little bat! I will have that shiny little knife!" Chieftain Lurtzak snarled, showing his many sharp, bear-like teeth.

His blazing orange eyes glared at Meta Knight as he raised his spear to attack.

"Ah, so it can speak!" Meta Knight mocked, hovering just out of the spear tip's reach, "Try and take it, then!"

Lurtzak twisted his mount around, digging his heels into the monster's side. The beast, now ignoring the ice still impaled in it's face, snapped it's massive jaws at Meta Knight, rearing up onto it's hind legs and eventually catching one of the Star Warrior's wings in it's mouth.

"Medi Kni!" Sword Kirby cried, in horror.

Meta Knight couldn't help but let out a pained yell as he felt the bones in his wing crunch and snap as he was thrashed about violently. A few prods from the Chieftain's spear didn't help much either. Eventually, he was able to use Galaxia to pry the monster's mouth open to release him. The hyena yelped and dropped Meta Knight to the ground, backing away and bleeding from a deep wound in it's lower jaw. The elder star warrior's now broken wings transformed back into his cape. Thankfully, they no longer hurt, though on the side where his wing was mauled, the cape was torn and mangled as well.

Fearing for his master's life, Kirby began his attack once again, only to be sent tumbling back from a powerful invisible force summoned by Lurtzak's spear. He cried out, skidding to a halt on the splintering boardwalk. The little warrior could have sworn he heard familiar voices call his name, but he couldn't be too certain. All he knew was that his master needed his help.

"Poyo, I'm comin'. Medi Kni" Sword Kirby cried out.

As he ran, the pink warrior coughed up the combat knife he had in reserve just for an emergency such as this one. Meta Knight was holding the hyena at bay, though he bore some new injuries, indicating that while Kirby was momentarily incapacitated, the Chieftain took that to his full advantage. Lurtzak raised his spear, ready to summon another wall of force, but then...

"Duel Sword Beam!" Sword Kirby announced.

The young Star Warrior leaped up, both Winterclaw and the combat knife shimmering brightly. Kirby unleashed the devastating attack, the sword beam from the knife slightly smaller then the one from Winterclaw. Chieftain Lurtzak whipped around in surprise, having thought one nuisance dealt with. He couldn't have been more wrong. The duel sword beams ripped through both himself and his mount. There was a pained yelp, then silence and the mighty hyena's head detached from the rest of it's body. In a shimmering light, the monster disintegrated, leaving the Chieftain on the ground, with nothing more remaining of his pet but a pile of mangled barding. He quivered underneath his armor, enchanted spear clutched tightly in his hand.

Meta Knight wasted no time, while Lurtzak was busy glowering with hatred, the elder Star Warrior jumped into the air, twisting like a drill and taking the massive bugbear off guard. Roaring from the pain, Lurtzak stumbled back, then drove his spear into the ground, trying to skewer Meta Knight on it.

"Kirby..." Meta Knight called.

"Poyo, poy!" Sword Kirby cried out.

Meta Knight could tell what Kirby was thinking. This creature was much bigger then they were. Time to bring it down to their level. Just when Chieftain Lurtzak was about to use his wall of force again, he was foiled as both blades of fire and ice sliced through his knees and legs. The clan leader collapsed to the boardwalk, spear still clutched in his hand.

It was now he could see that despite his greater numbers, the tide of the battle had turned, just like the tide of the sea. A good number of his best troops were dead, or close to death.

"Poyo, Medi Kni, let's-" Sword Kirby started, right before witnessing his beloved teacher get slammed from behind by a rampaging boar, just as he was preparing to use a sword beam himself.

He was relieved when his master recovered from the strike, but he was a bit unsteady on his feet; the Chieftain noticed this too. An evil grin spreading across his face, Lurtzak thrust his spear towards the blue puffball. Meta Knight didn't see it coming, but he was suddenly pushed forward and to the ground. When he began to push himself back up, there was a weak cry of pain.

"Kirby?" Meta Knight asked, turning around.

He may not have been Lurtzak's intended target, but he'd do just fine all the same.

Meta Knight's eyes widened in horror as he saw Kirby, impaled on the bugbear Chieftain's spear. So that's what happened, then. Kirby had pushed him out of the way and took the hit for him!

"M-Medi... Kni... "Kirby stammered, his liquid blue eyes wide.

Chieftain Lurtzak laughed cruelly, roughly tearing the spear tip out of the little pink puffball, taking a good chunk of flesh and blood with it. Kirby cried out in pain, grasping the horrible wound with his free hand, still clinging to Winterclaw with the other. There was a horrible taste lingering in his mouth, like that of copper and death and his breathing became labored.

The rest of the team, now free from their own battles, could see the outcome of the fight so far. Tiff's eyes widened in horror, and Knuckle Joe quivered with rage.

"Kirby!" Knuckle Joe shouted.

Lurtzak knew he was going to die, and didn't even attempt to recall his underlings as they fled with all haste from the barrage of spells and attacks being launched at them. He continued laughing, even as Geoffrey and Kautounie both unloaded every round their guns carried into him. Before either Tiff or Neo could finish casting their healing spells, the Chieftain began weaving sorcery of his own, heedless of his own injuries, and sent a powerful wave of black energy straight for the both of them.

"No, Kirby!" Tiff cried, tears stinging her eyes before blacking out and falling to the ground.

Kautounie howled in outrage as Neo collapsed beside Tiff, far to drained of energy to carry on. Everything became a scattered blur now. She could vaguely recall Geoffrey leaping off his horse and holding her back while frantically calling her name. Knuckle Joe began throwing as many kicks and punches as he could, until he too fell to the ground.

Hardly able to stand on his own, Kirby battled through the pain, his breaths short and forced, narrowly avoiding slipping in a pool of his own blood. By now, Lurtzak was just as wounded and tired as he was. The last remaining bugbear was about to use one more attack with his enchanted spear, right before loosing his hand to Meta Knight and the Galaxia sword. Meta Knight's eyes blazed ugly red, and he didn't seem to notice that he was showered in the beast's black blood, nor did the monster's agonized screams reach his ears.

"Poy-poyo!" Kirby shouted, moving surprisingly quick for his condition.

Winterclaw sliced right through Lurtzak's throat, leaving a nasty frostbite behind. Kirby stumbled backwards, then when the bugbear leader wasn't going down fast enough, Kirby swung again, this time, Meta Knight catching him before he fell to the ground.

Finally, the battle was over. Chieftain Lurtzak drew in his last breath, exhaling cold frost before he died. There was no way this thing was getting up again.

"Di- did it... Medi Kni." Kirby whimpered, painfully.

"I'm with you, Kirby." Meta Knight said, "Now you stay with me!"

No one had gotten away from this fight unscathed, but obviously, some had it worse then others, and with both healers down, the others were on their own.

Geoffrey had finally let go of Kautounie, who was badly mauled, but was no where near and badly injured as her sister, who had been struck with that weird black magic. And Tiff wasn't faring much better. Even Geoffrey had a few nasty gashes, as did Meta Knight and Knuckle Joe's breathing was heavy and forced from his exhaustion. But by far, little Kirby had been hit the worst.

"No, Kirby. Do not go to sleep. You need to stay with me, now." Meta Knight ordered, gently picking up his trembling apprentice.

"Poyo... make... Medi Kni...?" Kirby choked out painfully.

Kautounie snarled loudly as she heard something approach, alerting Meta Knight and Geoffrey to the possible danger. Geoffrey grabbed the sniper rifle that was still strapped to his back. If those bugbears were returning to finish the fight, he wouldn't mind taking down a few more. But it was no bugbear.

Now approaching their wounded saviors were the citizens of the town, at least what few were left. They were of various races, most of them dressed in colorful Hawaiian print shirts and shorts, though they were torn and ripped in many places. A couple of women were wearing swimsuits or bikinis. Most wore sandals or went barefoot

These people may not have known who these travelers were, but had it not been for them, they would still be under the boot of that horrible, Nightmare worshiping bugbear clan. Eventually, the man at the front, who was an elf-like being like Knuckle Joe (just bigger and with ocean blue hair) stepped forward.

"T-the name's Brandon... Mayor Brandon Stormrider... of Portside," he stammered, "R-radical... I-I don't know where you came... f-f-from or why y-y-you're here... but... but th-th-thank you..."

Meta Knight was the first to step forward.

"Brandon, my companions are hurt very badly..." Meta Knight said, wrapping Kirby up in his tattered cape to keep him warm and staunch the bleeding.

Brandon gestured to the other people behind him.

"Mayor Brandon, both our healers have been taken out, please tell me that you've got a doctor here!" Geoffrey pleaded.

To his and Meta Knight's relieved surprise, Brandon nodded.

"I-I am a doctor, actually. Those things... that... that you dudes killed... and drove off... wonderfully, I might add, they, they insisted on keeping me alive, even though I tried to rebel at first." Brandon explained. "The big, ugly one there forced me to treat their injuries they sustained after taking over the town. It's the only reason I'm still alive." he added, pointing to Lurtzak's corpse.

"I know you've been through a lot, my friend, but with Tiff and Neo baddy injured and unable to use their healing sorcery, we are the ones in need of your help now!" Meta Knight said, urgently.

"Dude, we'll do whatever it takes to save your friends!"

The surfer elf, along with the other rescued citizens, helped Geoffrey and Meta Knight get the wounded to the clinic that they had taken a glance at sometime during the fight. Sure, it may not have been in the best condition at this time, but it would be better then spending the night out in the growing storm that was slowly moving in towards the coastline.

Once everyone was safely inside, the race to save their rescuers began. Things began to blur a little bit from there. Geoffrey looked out to the ocean. It was getting dark already? Had the battle really gone on for so long? He felt so tired himself, but there was still much work to be done. Right now, his friends needed him.

IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~

Kirby fought to keep awake for as long as he could, just as Meta Knight had asked him to. But he was so confused. Where was Tiff or Neo with one of their healing spells? Why would they not soothe away the pain?

The child could make out that he was being taken into a building that he thought he had seen while fighting their way through Portside. With a pained moan, he shifted in his mentor's arms, shivering.

"Everything will be alright, little one." Meta Knight said gently, allowing the strangers that now surrounded them to take Kirby from his arms before he himself was led away, "You battled bravely and you have made me proud! Now you must continue to fight!"

"Medi Kni?" Kirby weakly cried, struggling in some unknown person's grasp, stopping only when he could no longer tolerate the pain. He coughed violently, trying to regain his breath, "Medi Kni, poyo!"

He was taken into a brightly lit room, where he was laid down on something soft. Kirby weakly blinked up at the people surrounding him. The injured warrior was looking up into a face, not to much unlike Knuckle Joe's, save for the blue hair and the sea blue lab coat over his colorful shirt. Mayor, or in this case, Dr. Brandon looked down at the little wounded puffball on the examination table.

"Easy, little dude. That's a nasty wound you went and got yourself there." Brandon said, gently and very laid back, "You know... I think I've heard of you... Kirby of the Stars."

"Poyo... Kirby..." Kirby moaned, growing weaker.

He could feel warm, soothing water cleaning away all the grit and filth of the battle. But the pain, so much pain! It was becoming too much. Eyes growing heavier by the second, Kirby could no longer stay awake, and let the comforting blackness take him.

IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~

"Sir Meta Knight... buddy..." Geoffrey called.

The elder warrior glanced up to the human from dressing his wounds. Both of them were in the small waiting room, which at the moment was being used as an extension of the main clinic. There wasn't much in the way of sorcery in this town, and with Neo and Tiff in their condition, these people had to turn to whatever mundane medical equipment they had. With only one doctor, a handful of volunteers, and five critically injured patients in dire need of care, those with minor wounds had to bind their own. Thankfully, Meta Knight had some experience in field patching. Once he had taken care of his injuries, the veteran began to assist the other people.

"How's the little guy doing?" Geoffrey asked.

"Right now, nothing is certain, my friend." Meta Knight sighed.

"Here buddy, take this. I really hope this stuff works the way you said it would," Geoffrey offered, handing Meta Knight one of the flasks containing the Pep Brew, "I nearly forgot about those. May as well put it to some good use."

Meta Knight nodded in understanding, then Geoffrey turned to leave.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"Back to that cave to get the horses and the rest of our supplies! Neo's medical kit is in her saddlebag, and right now, we need every drop of medicine we can get." the rogue answered.

IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~

It was uncertain how much time had passed. Only that something outside was howling loudly. Kirby was all alone, staring into a gray wasteland. How could this be? He knew this place, but it was not how he remembered it. Dreamland.

"Poyo...Medi Kni, Tiff... Neo... Joe?" Kirby cried out, fearfully.

The pink puff trembled, realizing that he was all alone. Well, not all alone.

"Oh come on, you didn't think you'd be able to forget about me forever, did you?" Riley asked, suddenly appearing right behind Kirby, accompanied by Glasya, Lucifer, and Spitfire.

Kirby let out a cry of surprise, attempting to spit up the Winterclaw, only to find that it wasn't there.

"You're helpless against us, you cannot win!" Riley hissed, her own voice echoed by those of Weston's and Fey's, "Surrender, and your death will come swiftly and mercifully."

Kirby's heart begin to race, then he felt an intense pain returning to his stomach. Blood, his blood, spilled onto the parched ground, and he was helpless to stop it. He doubled over in pain, one hand covering the wound in a feeble attempt to stop the bleeding. Once again, it became a battle just to breathe.

The half-demoness only smiled, then as Kirby looked up to her, she held aloft Meta Knight's mask. It was mangled and covered in blood.

"Why'd you do it, little one?" Riley asked, nearly breaking out laughing, "You don't remember, do you? You MADE him do it!"

"Poy-Poyo! Medi Kni!" Kirby screamed.

His entire body shook, in pain, confusion, and fear as Riley stooped over him. Then, that laugh, that heartless laugh, began to ring in the little warrior's ears. But it wasn't coming from Riley. Without warning, Nightmare's visage and taloned hands sprung from the witch's body, flying straight for Kirby. The puffball was frozen in terror, too weak to fight back. The terrible wraith's hands wrapped around his small body, choking Kirby in their relentless grasp.

"You're coming with me!" Nightmare hissed.

Kirby cried out, then coughed up blood on the demon lord's hand and gazed into the eyes of his captor, mentally preparing for the worst when...

Suddenly, there was a bright flash, followed by savage rumbling.

"Poyo!" Kirby shouted, waking up from his painful and tormented sleep with a start.

He was breathing heavily, covered in cold sweat. The little warrior didn't recognize his surroundings, but at least he was no longer in that horrible place. Riley, her hell hounds, and Nightmare were nowhere to be seen. It was just a dream... just a nightmare.

Kirby was in a dark, narrow room with only one door, lined with medical equipment and beds, all of which were occupied at the moment. There was a small window, only half covered by a tattered curtain that may have been cheerful and bright at one time. Rain and wind lashed against the window, creating a startling noise every now and again. On the floor he could make out a small bedroll, complete with blankets and a pillow. Beside it, there was a small pile. Some of it he recognized as his and his companions' gear, including the Winterclaw, Wicked, and an assortment of guns and knives.

Kirby was currently lying in bed, with a single sea green blanket covering his trembling body. He yelped softly when his stubby hand accidentally pressed against the throbbing wound on his tummy. It was then did he see the needle and I.V. sticking out of his arm and the machines monitoring his vitals. Now that he was awake, the pain was coming back. Kirby chanced a glance under his covers and could see the blood soaked dressing covering his injury. Although there was a chill throughout most of his body, his forehead felt uncomfortably warm. A fever, perhaps? Not uncommon with the sort of injury he sustained.

The child then looked over to his right, and could see Neo resting in the bed beside him. She appeared to be sleeping well, considering the situation. In the next bed over, there was Kautounie, who was also unconscious. Both sisters had been cleaned up, their wounds treated, their own I.V.s and monitoring systems as well.

Suddenly, another lightning strike startled the already shaken child, causing him to cry out in pain as he jerked back. Tears began rolling down his blushed cheeks, and he trembled more, hugging the thin blanket close to his body. He felt cold, sick, and afraid.

"Medi Kni... anyone?"

"No need for that, little warrior. You are braver then this, I know it." said a familiar voice. "It's just a storm. You're safe, inside the Portside Infirmary, recovery ward."

Kirby relaxed once he felt his mentor's gloved hand on his forehead, comforting him. His tears began to clear up once he looked up to his masked friend and teacher, grateful that he was still alive. Meta Knight had several bandages of his own, indicating that he too had been hurt badly.

He had been sitting beside Kirby this whole time, watching over him; and refused to leave his side. Well, not just him. To Kirby's left was Tiff and Knuckle Joe, who were in a similar situation as he was.

The little puffball reached to pull the needle to the I.V. out of his arm, only to be stopped by Meta Knight.

"No, you leave that alone, young one."

Kirby moaned softly, but was in no shape to even think about arguing with his mentor. Despite the discomfort, he left it in. The pink puff shifted as much as his injuries would allow, pulling his covers more tightly around him.

"Nightmare, hmm? A bad one... I could tell." Meta Knight sighed.

Shivering, Kirby nodded. Having seen the young one in enough discomfort, Meta Knight pulled a spare blanket out from under the bed and draped it over his apprentice. He couldn't suppress his relieved smile when the little warrior purred with contentment, snuggling into the warm blankets.

"Medi Kni... everyone safe?" Kirby asked, once he was settled back in bed. "W-where's Geoff?"

"Geoffrey... had a few things to take care of." Meta Knight answered, slowly, closing his eyes for a moment and taking in a deep breath.

Kirby blinked up to his teacher worriedly, "Medi Kni, what's wrong? Have... have bad dream, too?"

"This... is the second time on this journey you have saved me, and I thank you, my little friend." Meta Knight began, "But, you could say that I did have a bad dream, only it wasn't a dream, it was real."

Kirby flinched at the serious, unexpected glare Meta Knight gave him all of a sudden, "Don't you EVER scare me like that again, Kirby!"

The little pink puffball stared back at Meta Knight, wide-eyed and confused. Why was Meta Knight so angry with him? He felt his tears return as his mentor remained silent for the longest time.

"I-I thought for a moment... that I lost you." Meta Knight admitted at last, "What you did... it was reckless! Yet, selfless and noble as well."

He could tell that the child was still confused, and with good reason. Poor thing had barely been recovering from surgery and a fever, plus he had just woken up from a frightening nightmare. Then this!

Thankful that the other patients were still asleep, Meta Knight gently wiped away Kirby's tears.

"Aiye, what am I going to do with you?" he asked, sitting down on the little one's bedside. "Here, have some of this, it'll help with the pain."

Meta Knight opened the flask with the Pep Brew, which still had a little bit left, though he was still waiting for Geoffrey to return with the rest. He gave Kirby a sip of the sweet tasting liquid, washing away the bitter taste that had been lingering in his mouth, and almost immediately, the little puffball began to feel better.

"Poyo, Medi Kni... with me..." Kirby purred, closing his eyes.

The elder warrior allowed Kirby to cuddle up next to him. He placed his hand on the child star warrior's head, who yawned once, then drifted back to sleep.

"That's it, my little warrior." Meta Knight sighed, smiling gently beneath his mask, "Tonight is for recovery."

A short time later, Geoffrey, having successfully made it back to Portside with all their horses and gear through the storm, was now waiting in the recovery room with Meta Knight and his resting companions. Outside, the storm had still raged on and didn't look like it would let up any time soon. The rogue was sopping wet, head to foot.

"They'll be fine, Geoffrey." Meta Knight said, quietly, before the rogue could even ask a question.

He gently pried the peacefully sleeping Kirby off of him so he could get up. The little warrior mumbled softly in his sleep, grabbing an armful of his blankets before settling down again.

"Good to know buddy." Geoffrey answered, fighting his way out of his soaking wet coat, "I handed off the rest of the Pep Brew to Mayor... or is it Doctor? Anyway, Brandon has it right now. And I've got Neo's medical kit right here. She's got some Gaiaroot Extract in here, which they will probably need when they wake up."

It was about midnight by now, and Geoffrey mentioned to Meta Knight that he should get some rest himself. Since this town wasn't made up of much fighters, someone needed to be on guard in case those bugbears did come back. At first, Meta Knight protested, considering that Geoffrey had better get himself dried off before he got sick.

"Sir Meta Knight, respectfully, get your navy blue ass in bed!" the rogue sighed at last, "Get some sleep, man. Honestly, you look terrible!"

Meta Knight narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. Nope, this was one he'd have to think about, but he'd get that human back somehow. The Star Warrior curled up in his bedroll, still wearing his tattered cape and armor. His golden eyes dulled, and the exhausted warrior fell asleep.

Geoffrey checked on each of his friends before taking a seat bedside Kirby's bed. He knew the two zwetoocks would be difficult to deal with when they got up, especially Neo. The rogue chuckled softly to himself; it would be quite amusing if Meta Knight were the one to take care of her.

Well, at least he had done it! They had done it. Working together, they stole back an entire town!

*Some undisclosed amount of time later*

Her ears flicked as she heard noises around her. They weren't too loud, at least not at first. Then the sound of thunder and a flash of lightning caused the little zwetoock to open her eyes.

Neo took a quick glance at her surroundings. On the floor in the corner of the narrow and dimly lit room was a small, unmade bedroll, which looked like someone had slept in it recently. Beside the door was Geoffrey, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, eyes closed, but always with a gun within easy reach.

Now she could see her sister, still sleeping to her right, and Kirby, Tiff, and Knuckle Joe to her left. Meta Knight was also awake with Kirby, keeping the little pink warrior company.

"What-what is this?" Neo groaned, quickly catching Meta Knight's attention.

"Poyo, Neo, Medi Kni?" Kirby asked softly, looking over to where the injured healer rested.

"Just give me a minute, little one." Meta Knight said, pulling the covers more firmly around his apprentice before leaving his bedside.

Now, Meta Knight had wished no harm to come to any of his companions. Far from it. But, this was something that the elder Star Warrior had been saving, if ever the situation presented itself. It was payback time! Neo was struggling to get out of bed, and the stubborn healer was ignoring her near crippling pain.

The elder warrior lightly jumped up on Neo's bedside and gently pushed the cub back down into her pillows.

"Sir Meta Knight, that's my job! I'm a healer, and right now..." Neo protested, attempting to get out of bed a second time, "These people, you guys... need... my healing spells."

"Oh, I do not think so," Meta Knight growled, "I may not be a sorcerer, but I can clearly see that you're in no shape to be casting spells!"

While Neo reached to pull the I.V. out of her arm, Meta Knight stopped her, then pushed the cub back down, much more firmly this time. Boy, didn't this situation seem somewhat familiar?

"What was it that you said to me when our places were reversed?" Meta Knight mused, his eyes flashing green, "Oh yes, I believe it was 'why don't you just lay quietly and be happy you're still alive?' and, my personal favorite, 'must I tie you to your bed?'"

After hearing those words, Neo let out the most miserable groan imaginable, "You remembered that? Ohhhh... you..."

Quoting her, now that was just salt in the wounds! And that wasn't the worst part, either. Geoffrey's snickering from across the room only emphasized Meta Knight's victory over the healer using her own words!

"Good one, buddy." Geoffrey said, quietly.

"Ohhhhhhhhh... you've been saving that one, haven't you?!" Neo moaned, finally giving in, "Shit!"

Meta Knight didn't say anything, but there was something about the twinkle in his now bright blue eyes that told Neo everything she needed to know. Defeated, she remained where she was. The last thing Neo wanted was to give Meta Knight an excuse to actually tie her to her bed. That would have been awkward. Just to add insult to injury, the elder star warrior lightly scratched Neo behind her ear before returning to Kirby's bedside.

"Hmhmhmh... you're lucky your so cute." Meta Knight muttered as he glanced over his shoulder, earning another glare from Neo while Kirby snuggled up next to him, "Let that be a lesson to you, my apprentice."

"Poyo... Medi Kni..." Kirby yawned, sleepily.

"Yup! You don't screw with Sir Meta Knight!" Geoffrey answered.

"Hmmmm... right." Meta Knight muttered.

"Just shut up, you two! Owwww..." Neo pouted.

 **IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~**

Late in the afternoon, everyone was awake and on the road to recovery. Tiff had attempted to use her Group Healing spell, only to have a small fizzle of magic come from her hand, doing absolutely nothing.

"Meta Knight... could you hand me Wicked, please?" Tiff asked, still feeling exhausted.

"Neo has already tried, Tiff." Meta Knight explained, "I'll tell you what I told her, just rest."

Tiff didn't say anything, but that sure was rich coming from the guy Neo had to threaten in order to keep him from injuring himself further when he was hurt.

The door to their recovery room was wide open right now, allowing a view into the main floor of the clinic. Honestly, this infirmary had the loosest dress code on Horva, since any volunteers and the doctor/mayor were all wearing their colorful shorts and shirts. Heck, the only thing identifying Mayor Brandon as a doctor was his sea blue doctor's coat.

The laid back doctor greeted the adventurers, relieved to see that they were doing well after his all his hard work.

"So... you're the mayor of this town AND the doctor?" Knuckle Joe asked, "And I thought I had a busy schedule to keep..."

"Yes, I'm also a surfing instructor and on the weekends I tend bar."

Okay, another great mystery to solve, almost as great as how Geoffrey hides all those weapons in his coat or what Meta Knight's face really looks like under the mask.

"Usually it's not so bad around here. Mostly we just have wipe outs, sprains, bumps and bruises. But we did have one shark bite last year," Brandon explained, "I'll admit, I'm not used to the sort of trauma you guys went through, but I'm glad to see you pulled through!"

"Mayor... or is it Doctor as of right now?" Geoffrey asked, awaiting clarification.

"Whatever you like, dude, I'm not fussy,"

"Mayor Brandon, you already know myself and Sir Meta Knight here, but I'd like you to meet Kirby, Knuckle Joe, and the ladies, Kautounie, Neo, and Tiff."

Brandon nodded in greeting; he knew he recognized Kirby, if only by his description. Neo and Kautounie both greeted their doctor in their usual way, while Tiff and Knuckle Joe stuck with that old favorite of "hi".

"Wow, Dreamlanders here, who'd have thought, huh? You know Meta Knight, I didn't mention this before, what with everything goin' on, but I thought you would have been-" Brandon started.

"Taller in person." the old star warrior finished for him, "Yes, I've been getting that a lot, lately."

Brandon just shrugged; how did Meta Knight know exactly what he was going to say? Was he a psychic or something?

After the introductions, he went about his work, administering medication, changing bandages, and cleaning wounds.

"So, feeling better, Kirby? I knew I recognized you!"

"Poyo... better..." Kirby chirped.

The little fighter was quite happy to have his soaked through dressing changed and cooperated completely, even when the medicine stung. Even though the injury was still very serious, at least there was no sign of infection and his fever had calmed down considerably.

Brandon nearly found himself tripping over his words while he treated Tiff, but any fool could clearly see that he was attracted to her, having even let slip the words 'what a beach babe'.

"Careful now..." Geoffrey muttered, his eyes darting to Meta Knight for a split second.

The elder warrior certainly had his interest perked when he heard those words, however, he let it be... for now, anyway.

But alas, two patients in particular were giving Brandon trouble.

"Look, I'm fine, I'll walk it off!" Knuckle Joe insisted, sitting up in bed, squeezing his eyes shut and grasping his stomach in pain as he moved.

"It was just a scratch!" Kautounie huffed, despite the fact that half her body was wrapped in bandages.

"Whoa... just chill, dudes!" Dr. Brandon said, taking a step back, "Geez..."

Geoffrey and Meta Knight both couldn't help but feel bad for Dr. Brandon. He was just doing what he could in his power to help them.

"Knuckle Joe, Kautounie, can you two ever stay still?" Geoffrey asked.

Apparently not. Sighing heavily, the human reached into the medical kit he had borrowed from Neo, and handed Brandon a small, ornate bottle.

"Just give em' all a few drops of that, and see how it goes from there." he muttered, "Gaiaroot Extract, very strong stuff."

"You should be able to use two drops for Knuckle Joe and about three for Kautounie." Neo advised, having overheard the conversation, "And for the rest of us, one drop will be more then enough."

Since she wasn't allowed to get out of bed, none of the others were either. Right now, Kautounie's and Joe's spirits were stronger then their physical bodies, giving Brandon the edge in the battle of wills vs. medic. The surfer doctor calmly administered the two unruly patients some of the potent medicine through their I.V.s first to quiet them down and then to quell their pain, and the effect was instant.

"Hey... what's... all that shiny... stuff... looks good on you, Geoffrey..." Knuckle Joe mumbled, rolling his eyes.

He had gone from hopped up and ready for a fist fight to unbearably content in a matter of seconds. Geoffrey took a quick look around, just to see if there was anything shiny around him. Nope, it was just the drugs talking.

"Oh wow... see... you...puffballs later..." Kautounie slurred, sounding like she had just downed about a hundred or so beers, "So shiny... Kirby, has anyone... ever told you that... you're the cutest grapefruit around here. -giggle- and you, Sir Meta Knight... I'd like you to be my... my..."

"Kautounie, shut up before you say something you'll regret in the morning!" Geoffrey sighed.

Thankfully, the zwetoock stopped talking before she embarrassed herself.

Meta Knight's golden gaze widened. Had the Redsun princess really just proposed to him in her drugged out state?!

Doped up, (and content to be so, quite honestly) Kautounie and Knuckle Joe did not give their doctor any more trouble.

"Dude, this stuff works wonders!" Dr. Brandon exclaimed, "Where'd you get it? I'd like more for the clinic."

Geoffrey muttered something to the elf, then motioned to Neo. Brandon nodded, then began administering the Gaiaroot Extract to the other patients. Given the potent pain killing and relaxing effects Neo's medicine had on her sister and Joe, very small amounts were given to Tiff, Neo, and Kirby to soothe away any pain they were in as well. Soon enough, the recovery room now housed five very content patients.

"When you free me from prison...I-I mean, allow me to get out of bed," Neo snorted, in between a few giggles, "I'll... see about making some... more for you before we take our leave," she finished, right before her words slurred into unintelligible moans and grunts.

There was a small movement under her covers as the cub's tail wagged. Although not happy with her current situation, (but that was quickly changing, mind you) she liked meeting other healers, this one a surfer dude, no less. Apparently hearing all that surfer lingo she liked so much was making her much more tolerable to be around... or it was the meds. One of the two.

"Oh my gosh... this is..." Tiff started, slurring over her words, trying to find the right one.

Well, it was expected. She had already seen what happened to Knuckle Joe and Kautounie. But hey! They were all no longer in any pain what so ever! Neo even went as far as giggling, vowing that she would get her revenge on Meta Knight, while Kirby babbled contently, staring up at his mentor with dilated dark blue eyes, a look of adoration on his cute face.

"Hiiiiiii..." Kirby purred.

"Geoffrey... could you... do me a really big favor?" Kautounie asked, her voice slurring from the effects of the medicine, "I... want those goblins... the ones we... killed... brought in here. Dead! As dead as you can make them..." she giggled, "I've got the munchies..."

Come to think of it, none of them had eaten for a while, and there was plenty of food outside for the zwetoocks. Geoffrey would just have the unpleasant task of telling the townspeople not to feed all the dead bodies to the sharks, since Meta Knight had ever so graciously offered to stay with the wounded to protect them and keep them company. Well, he'd also have to see what food he could scrounge up for the rest of them who ate 'real food'. What a day at the beach this had become!

"Geoffrey... with peanut butter too..." Kautounie moaned, flopping to one side and falling asleep.

An even stranger request, but giving zwetoocks peanut butter was quite fun to watch. Geoffrey just shrugged before briefly explaining the situation to Brandon, then left. While waiting, Tiff and Knuckle Joe both dozed lightly, Tiff unknowingly holding a small, shiny object in her hand that still had a bit of sand on it. Kirby, in his pleasantly sleepy state, had tried to grab Meta Knight's cape to curl into it, but this time his mentor was watching and pulled it out of his reach. The little puffball gave Meta Knight a cute, pouty face, to which the elder puffball, a smile concealed behind his silver armor, shook his head.

"Poyo..." Kirby sighed, blinking up to Meta Knight as his teacher teased him.

Eyes heavy, Kirby fell asleep without complaint. Come to think of it, there wasn't a whole lot left to cuddle into, anyway.

 **Author's Notes::** Sorry about the length on this one guys, but as you should know by now, I'm a stickler for details. We have the epic conclusion of the Battle for Portside, followed by an equally epic aftermath. So far, they've been relying a lot on sorcery for their healing. So naturally, myself, being the cruel and clever author that I am, take that luxury away! Muahahaaaaa! *cough, cough*, anywho, squeezed in some more bonding time with the team, including Meta Knight's growing attachment to his apprentice and his chance to get even with Neo from the events roughly 18 chapters ago. Also, for some reason I thought Brandon would be a load of fun, considering this is the sort of guy who can seem to do just about anything. He's a mayor, doctor, surfing instructor, and a bar tender. Anyways, hope you all enjoy everything from the epic, gritty battles, growing bonds of friendship, and of course, every excuse to have a cuddly moment between mentor and apprentice.

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	22. From Seas of Water to Seas of Fire

In You're Nightmares, From Seas of Water to Seas of Fire

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Major Revelations.

'We did it, against all odds, we stole back an entire town! A win for us, and a heavy blow to Nightmare Enterprises! Though, it did come with a heavy price. Not in gold or silver, but in blood. No one got out of the fight unscathed, but Kirby got it the worst out of all of us. The poor kid was skewered alive on that bugbear Chief's spear, and with Neo and Tiff currently in no condition to cast spells, the mending is going to be slow for now. Better then the alternative, I suppose.'

The Thoughts of Geoffrey 'Redsun' Collins

'I don't remember much of the battle, but Meta Knight and Geoffrey told me what happened. What a day. Now by body feels stiff and sore! Who knew that I was capable of such feats in battle. Maybe I am on my way to becoming a great Star Warrior like Kirby and Sir Meta Knight. Speaking of Kirby, at least he's alright, Knuckle Joe and the sisters too. I've been so worried about them! All the while, Geoffrey and Meta Knight have been taking turns looking out of us, and helping out Dr. Brandon, who oddly enough is also the mayor. "

The Thoughts of Tiff Ebrum

'Some fight we had! I haven't had a battle that good in a long time. A hundred of them, seven of us, yeah, I'd say that was a fair match up. I'll be honest, I'm not thrilled with being laid up, nor being doped up with that furball's weird medicine! It's best not to get hit in the first place, I'll tell you!"

The Thoughts of Knuckle Joe

'Oh does that Meta Knight have some nerve, using my own words against me! Well, I'm the healer, and I know my limits!'

The Thoughts of Neo Redsun

'Just drop it already, Neo! Zzzzzzz...'

The... Thoughts of Kautounie Redsun?

'Since it appears as though we may be staying for a bit while my companions heal, I figured now was a good time to get a hold of Garna. So far, no word of the Halberd. I can only pray that Harmony will bring us the answers that we look for. Meanwhile, all I can do is watch over my wounded friends and help them heal. I'll be honest, when Kirby took that attack for me, I thought I lost him. Since then, the little warrior hasn't wanted me to leave his side... and I haven't wanted to leave his either.'

The Thoughts of Sir Meta Knight

*Free City of Thea'or*

Back in the Free City, it was business as usual. People came and went about their ways, though more people were staying due to the increasing number of monsters plaguing the roads.

Making his way through the city snow covered streets to the Thieves' District was none other then the ruthless bounty hunter, Dusk. Naturally, he had switched his wardrobe, since in this town, wearing Nightmare's sigil was the equivalent of painting a bull's eye on your back. He knew the risk, but he had to start somewhere. A lot of money was riding on this.

Dusk paused, hearing some noises coming from the many interconnected alley ways in the Thieves District. He placed his hand on the revolver at his side. At least the city garrison turned a blind eye to this part of town, so he had nothing to worry about from them. The gray batamon continued through the shady part of town, wrapping his plain, black cape around him to keep warm. Then he saw it.

"The Knight Club?" he mused, holding back the urge to laugh, "My, my, my, for a thief, you sure advertise what you do."

The bounty hunter took a step closer, reading the "closed" sign that hung on the door. Naturally, there would be no way Garna would run her 'other' operations in view of the general public, she must have had another lair nearby. Dusk figured he could take a detour from his other targets, besides, he was still waiting for his reinforcements.

Just as Dusk began snooping around, he heard something whistling through the air. In the blink of an eye, the batamon twisted around, transforming his cape into a set of raven wings and whipped out his magnum revolver. At first, there was nothing, at least, he couldn't see anything. Then something moved in the shadows. He was greeted by two sets of eyes, one green, the other blue, staring at him from the darkness. There was a loud growl, then it was gone.

"What the hell?" Dusk muttered, looking over his shoulder.

There, in the wall of the club behind him was a crossbow bolt with a note and a single black feather pinned under the tip. Chuckling to himself, Dusk tore the projectile out of the wall, then looked to his wing. Indeed, a flight feather was missing.

"Oh... sneaky little minx..."

Dusk took a look at the bolt tip, noticing the shiny coating on the steel. Poison of some sort. Next, he opened the note, realizing that the ink was still wet.

 _"_ _The next one wont miss! Get out of my city, Bounty Hunter, or never leave it at all!"_

Smirking, Dusk crumpled up the note and tossed it over his shoulder. Heeding it's advice, the gray batamon leaped into the air, spreading his wings wide. Perhaps he'd need a different approach. Still, not all was in vain, he found exactly what he needed to know.

"Oh, you're devilishly tricky, my dear... but not infallible!"

*Holy Nightmare's Game Board*

Nightmare's talons tapped restlessly against the edge of his massive chessboard. Like in any good game, you send in the pawns first to determine your opponent's strategy. Thankfully for the demon lord, there were many more still to spare.

"Oh... you got lucky, little Kirby." Nightmare hissed, prodding the little star warrior's piece on the board, "VERY lucky!"

So close! Alas, you can't win them all. Sighing, Nightmare set his sights on the Halberd's piece, which hadn't been giving him much trouble as of late.

"Indeed you're cleaver, Miss Garna, but not perfect."

Perhaps he should tell Riley? Nah, maybe let it come as a surprise instead. The wraith chuckled to himself, selecting his next move. One thing was for sure, he wanted to be around to see her reaction. With his move made, the demon lord teleported away, a subtle smirk on his face.

*Castle Prescott, TV Studio/Communications Room*

Riley gritted her teeth and pounded her fist on one of the many keyboard consoles in the Communications Room. Still, they were getting those stupid, silly sitcoms! Honestly, whoever wrote this crap and filmed it deserved to die! Great, another thing to add to her 'to-do' list! With a growl, Riley flicked her hand, turning off the monitor screen and turned around, scowling.

"M-milady..." stuttered one of the demon beasts manning the console.

He squeaked fearfully when the witch leveled a glare at him. Lucifer and Spitfire snickered with cruel delight. How they loved seeing their mistress turn her abuse on others!

"This BETTER be good!" Riley hissed, approaching the frightened underling.

Things only got worse (for the lackey, anyway) once Nightmare drifted into the room in an ethereal mist, shifting into his more sustainable human form. The demon beast gulped audibly, quivering with fright.

"Well?" Nightmare growled, "No need to stop on my account!"

"Ye-yes, of course, your-Your Grace." the lackey squeaked.

"Speak up!" Nightmare demanded, growing increasingly impatient, only scaring the demon beast further.

The poor beast gulped yet again. Promotions in Nightmare Enterprises usually meant you were set for life, or your life would end very quickly. His former coworker found the later of the two options out the hard way.

"I-I-I-I'm receiving a... a-a-a message, sent over your personal contact signal, Milady!"

"Alright, we're not deaf, either!" Riley snarled.

Rolling his eyes with annoyance, Lucifer pushed past the nervous wreck, snarling at him for good measure, before pressing one of the keys with his paw. The monitor flickered for a minute, then settled on an image of Ronic, and his clueless bodyguard, Bruno. They were standing in what appeared a gigantic hanger of sorts.

"Hail, Milady! I must say, you look mighty fine, fine, fine, legs, fine, fine... hey... who is that guy you're with?!" Ronic snapped, his calm and polite tone quickly turning obnoxious.

"Oh... that's right, this is sort of a new form for me." Nightmare mused, his face twisting into a sneer, "Perhaps you'll recognize me better like this!"

With a snap, Nightmare's form shifted back into that of a monstrous wraith mage, causing Ronic to stumble backwards for a second. By this time, the demon beast manning the console had passed out. Sighing, Nightmare pushed the unconscious creature out of the chair and took his seat, Riley and her hell hounds by his side. Meanwhile, Bruno just stared ahead with that dumb look on his face, trying to comprehend what he just saw.

"Holy sh-I-I mean Holy Nightmare! Wow, what a surprise...Your Worship!" Ronic stammered, forcing a smile and a bow.

Bruno started to bend down to mutter something to his smaller companion, only to be shoved back to his original position. Ronic wasn't speaking very loudly, though the words 'for her' and 'she'll like this' were overheard.

"We... we have something for you both... by the way, you make a lovely couple..." Bruno said, smiling brightly.

Nightmare balked, and Riley's eyes widened.

"What?!" Nightmare snapped, "We are...are not... whatever you're implying!"

Riley only sighed, mentally telling Fey and Weston to get whatever giggling and snide comments out in the open. Weston had himself a good snicker, while Fey went a step further.

 _'Oh Holy Nightmare, he did not just go there!'_ Fey cackled, _'Riley and Nightmare sitting beneath a tree! K-I-S-S-"_

"Enough!" Riley growled to herself, "Stupid little sister!"

While Riley had her conversation with the voices in her head, Ronic and Bruno were having a similar conversation. Well... if that's what you want to call it, anyway.

"Bruno, shut up!" Ronic hissed, before the hulking landmass of flesh could say anything more and smacking him in the hip, hurting his hand in the process, "Ow! Ummm, anyway, we have something I think you'll really like... Milady... your Grace..." he added, very politely, bowing.

Riley only scowled further, (whether because of Ronic or because of the flack her siblings continued to serve up remained unknown). Nightmare however, thoughtfully stroked his chin, fighting to conceal his smile.

"I have a gift for you!" Ronic announced.

"Hey... we got it together!" Bruno protested.

"Cool it..."

"What in Dreamland and on Horva could you two have that I could possibly want?" Riley asked.

At Ronic's signal, (okay, more like a lot of yelling, a shove, and a kick to the shin), Bruno stepped aside to reveal what his girth had been concealing from the monitor screen. The witch nearly doubled over, thinking this had to be some sort of elaborate illusion spell. Nightmare merely tapped his talons together with satisfaction, grinning at Riley. It was unmistakable. Honest to all the Gods in the galaxy, it was the Halberd!

"You have the Halberd?!" Riley asked, in shock, "Now that's something I've been wanting."

"Yes, I saw it, sailing through the skies about a week or so ago. I just had to have it! I-I never called right away because... I was just waiting for the right thing to say. And now I have it. Ahhhhh... you and I, pleasure cruse, bottle of champagne..." Ronic sighed.

"Can I come?" Bruno asked.

"No!"

"Okay, that's sweet of you, really, but I'm not accepting any dates at this time! It is however good to see that you bumbling fools have finally done something right." Riley said, tapping her fingers on the back of Nightmare's chair.

The witch's eyes were still transfixed on the war ship. Just how did they get their mitts on the Halberd when Nightmare's army couldn't even find it?! If she had to take a guess, it would be pure, dumb luck.

"It wasn't easy, I'll tell you that much. Lucky she was already broken, eh?" Ronic mentioned, smiling proudly.

"He did most of it, actually." Bruno muttered.

"Shut up!"

"It was that Masher thing..."

"Okay, so that over glorified trash can helped out a little..." Ronic sighed at last.

"I'd suggest keeping that over glorified trash can around. Sir Meta Knight is going to be wanting his ship back." Riley warned.

Ronic stumbled back upon hearing that name, nearly tripping over his cape. His eyes became very wide as he stammered, "W-w-what? M-m-m-eta Knight? Here? Now?"

"Oh, so the great big mask on the front of the warship wasn't enough of a clue?" Nightmare groaned, rubbing his head with his hand.

"Ronic, remember that group I told you to keep an eye out for?" Riley sighed. "Sir Meta Knight is one of them, along with his apprentice, Kirby of the Stars."

"What's a Meta Knight?" Bruno asked.

"SHUT UP!" Ronic snapped, "Oh, oh this is bad, I'll have to accelerate my plans. I'll have to... I'll have to... order out for dinner, I'm way to damn busy to cook!"

Nightmare and Riley both glanced to each other in confusion. Boy did his occult on these other planets really attract the crazies. Regardless, Riley had a feeling Nightmare had known about this for a while, he just wasn't telling her.

"Rest assured! The treasure is safe with me, Milady... your Grace." Ronic announced.

"Be on your guard!" Nightmare growled, "They will stop at nothing to take back their ship and that little... treasure you carry."

"Ah, the trap has already been set..."

"I wouldn't go to much into details, never know who else may be watching!" Nightmare hissed. "Further more, I don't think they could comprehend it."

Just as Ronic was about to carry on further, Nightmare canceled the communications, groaning and holding his head. He thought they would never quit talking.

"Thank you, your Grace." Riley sighed, with relief.

"Get a load of the Masher's handler, hmm?" Nightmare asked, "I think I've had enough of that little imp to last three or four lifetimes. How I find myself missing Customer Service. He was always loyal and had a gift for dealing with crap like this!"

*On Ronic and Bruno's end*

Ronic's lip quivered, staring at his own reflection on the dark monitor screen.

"I don't think she's dating him either." Bruno said, stupidly.

"It's not that... well, that might be part of it, my hulking dumpster of a lard head... but I never got to tell them the best part." Ronic sighed, nearly on the verge of tears.

"You mean the warranty on this thing is still valid?" Bruno asked.

"GRAHHH!" Ronic growled, with annoyance.

He glanced over to where the Halberd was mourned, then strode forward, Bruno stomping behind him. The two of them passed by the large, metal clad monster, Masher 2.0, who waited in the hanger patiently, flail in hand.

There, awaiting Ronic, were Sword Knight and Blade Knight, both at perfect attention. Ronic smiled evilly, rubbing his hands together with delight. Oh well, it was Riley's and Nightmare's loss. The two knights turned to Ronic, silently.

"You boys will know what to do when the time is right." Ronic said, simply for once.

*The Beach Town of Portside*

It had been a few days since the Battle for Portside, (as it became known as by the locals), had come to a conclusion. With the invading goblins and bugbears dead, the people of Portside had slowly began to shift back into their laid back way of life, after cleaning and fixing up the town of course. Thankfully, the storm from a few days back had done a wonderful job washing away a large portion of the blood and gore of the fight. But, knowing that there were still monsters out there, many people in the town had begun carrying weapons, mostly rifles and shotguns, (which Brandon explained they kept on hand for skeet surfing, a favorite sport in the town), and others armed themselves with leftover swords and knives scavenged from the battlefield.

During those few days, Neo and Tiff had regained enough of their strength to start casting their healing spells, thus speeding up recovery. Now out of the clinic, the seven members of Kirby's team were outside, enjoying the time they had to unwind and relax before they set out on their journey to the desert the next day. It was cloudy and overcast, but thankfully not raining.

Meta Knight was perched on the boardwalk railing, his mended cape (thanks to Kautounie's work) wrapped around his body. The old veteran looked out over the sea, listening to the calming sounds of the waves. He turned his head slightly, and could see Kautounie and Tiff taking their horses out for a ride along the coast while Knuckle Joe and Neo roughhoused on the beach, with an onlooking crowd of "surfer dudes" cheering on the play fight. Geoffrey was sitting on a bench nearby one of the shops with his Xtransiear. Strange, Meta Knight could have sworn that Kirby was with the rogue. The elder warrior turned around when he heard footsteps approaching him. Well, one question was answered.

"Poyo?"

"Kirby, what are you doing here?" Meta Knight asked, looking down to the curious pink puffball below him, "We had sword practice this morning."

Kirby didn't answer, instead he jumped up on the railing beside his mentor, watching the waves with him. Of course. Kirby had been a bit clingy to his mentor since the... incident with the bugbear chief's spear. Meta Knight couldn't help but notice the pale scar on the smaller puff's belly from where the tip of the spear had struck. Just like the bite on his arm from the Alpha Hell Hound, that scar would never fully fade away. Even still, Kirby remained as plush and loving as ever.

"Just wanted to give me some company now, hmm?" Meta Knight asked, earning an eager nod from the youngster.

The two of them watched the ocean in blissful silence. Kirby settled closer to his mentor, sighing with contentment. Although Meta Knight didn't return any affection, (since there were more witnesses then he was comfortable with), he didn't shrug him away either. But after a short while, the intriguing sounds of Neo's yips and barks along with Knuckle Joe's surprised yell grabbed Kirby's attention. Apparently Knuckle Joe was learning just how hard zwetoock cubs could play. The young mage had Joe pinned beneath her, flat on his back in the sand. Meanwhile, watching from the safety of their horses, Tiff and Kautounie were having a good laugh about it and the beach crowd watching the playful brawl cheered and hooted.

Kirby babbled softly to no one in particular, his gaze fixed on the other members of the team having a good time.

"Why don't you go play for a while?" Meta Knight suggested, "You're well recovered and your skills are still sharp. Go on, you've earned it, young one." he added, giving his apprentice a gentle nudge.

Kirby chirped happily, and with a look of excitement on his face, the smaller star warrior bounded off towards the sand where his friends were playing, once again leaving Meta Knight to his thoughts. He secretly enjoyed seeing his apprentice happy and having fun. Kirby had something he never would have again. Simple childhood innocence. Even with all he had been through, Kirby still clung to it. The elder warrior's eyes glowed happy blue for a few minutes while he watched the youngsters play. He chuckled softly to himself, watching as Tiff and Kautounie jumped off their horses to join in whatever game they were playing. From what Meta Knight could tell, it was a lot like a cross between tag and the sport of football, just without a ball.

He may not have always been one for roughhousing and playing, but Meta Knight could see some advantages to it this time. It may have only been a game, but his apprentice and even the others were practicing dodging, retaliation, and strategy on the fly. Useful skills, even if just all in good fun.

However, heavy soled combat boots stomping on the wooden boardwalk behind him snapped Meta Knight out of his thoughts. At least Geoffrey wasn't trying to be sneaky this time, but something about the worried expression on the human's face told Meta Knight that Geoffrey wasn't here for fun and games.

"Sir Meta Knight... I've got something here you might want to see." Geoffrey said, handing the blue warrior the Xtransiear.

 **IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~**

"Come on Kirby, you and me together! We'll get that furball!" Knuckle Joe cried, charging through the sand.

"I'd like to see you try!" Neo challenged, gracefully stepping out of the smaller elf's way.

Neo flicked her tail upright in a taunting matter, then Kautounie shouted something in zwetoock. Kirby and Knuckle Joe didn't know what it meant, but from what they could gather, she was egging on the fight. Tiff and Kautounie both laughed when Kirby and Knuckle Joe pounced for Neo, knocking the cub to the ground. Since it wasn't a life or death sort of battle, there was no need for spells nor claws and teeth. Neo laughed and yipped playfully, her tail wagging uncontrollably as the two young star warriors pinned her to the ground this time. However, the fun moment was quickly interrupted when Geoffrey and Meta Knight came sprinting down the beach. Nervously, the surfer crowd departed, looking somewhat afraid, considering the hurried pace set by the rogue and elder star warrior.

"What's wrong?" Tiff asked, nervously.

"Yeah... you guys look a little pale..." Neo added as she sat up, allowing Knuckle Joe to slide off of her, though she was still holding onto a wriggling Kirby.

"Garna finally got something... and I don't think it's good." Geoffrey informed.

"You all need to see this." Meta Knight said simply.

The entire group crowded around the small screen. Garna's image appeared, then she began to explain what was going on, "I got this a few days ago. It was a bit of a mess, but I've cleaned it up as best I could for you all. Riley and Nightmare are really starting to wise up!"

With that, Garna sent them the message she had intercepted. Indeed, the static was horrible and the image was choppy. From what they could make out, it was a large hanger bay, with a short humanoid dressed in black and a hulking knight taking up a bulk of the screen. Considering the quality, it wasn't surprising that Knuckle Joe thought the armor clad human could have been the Masher 2.0 for a moment.

"We... something... both... lovely couple..." could be heard from the knight, though it sounded like there could have been more in there, but it had been cut out.

"They've got to be talking to Nightmare and Riley." Kautounie whispered, only to be 'shushed' by Meta Knight.

Continuing with the intercepted transition,

"What?!" snapped a cold, hard voice, more then likely Nightmare, "We... whatever you- implying!"

Okay, the group had to admit, that was pretty amusing. Nightmare and Riley, an item? Well, they were perfect for each other.

"Bruno, shut up!" hissed the shorty, as he smacked the much larger human in the hip, resulting in a static covered, "OW!"

"Ummm, anyway, we... something I think... really like... Milady... your Grace... I have a gift for you!"

"Hey... we... to..gether!" The knight, (Bruno, was it?) protested.

"Cool it..."

"What in Dreamland and on Horva... you two have that I could... want?" asked a cruel, feminine voice, unmistakably Riley's.

What happened next was a shock to the entire team. With some prodding from the shorty, Bruno stepped aside, and when the static cleared up, there was no mistaking it. That was indeed the Halberd behind them! And by the sounds of things, even Riley was shocked.

"You have the Halberd?! Now that's something I've been wanting." Riley's voice could be heard.

A large portion of the audio cut out and static filled the screen again, but there was still a little bit left.

"It wasn't easy, I'll tell... much. Lucky she was already broken, eh?" Bragged the shorty.

"He did... it..." Bruno muttered, barley noticeable over the static.

"Shut up!"

"It was... Masher thing..."

"Okay... over glorified... trash can helped out a little..." admitted the foul tempered shorty.

"I'd suggest...over glorified trash can around. Sir Meta Knight is... be wanting his ship back." Riley warned, then the transmission cut off.

Kirby and the team were in silence for the longest time, only to be roused from their thought's when Garna escalated from just talking to shouting at them.

"Hey, no time for daydreaming! This is worse then I thought!" Garna warned.

"Why do you say that?" Knuckle Joe snorted.

"I actually don't know much about the short stuff, other then his name, Ronic, and that he's a halfling like myself." Garna said, "As for the plate mailed gorilla, that's Bruno. Strong as an ox and half as smart, that one. Be careful around him, he's oblivious to damage... and everything else for that matter as you probably noticed."

"Thanks for the tip." Tiff squeaked out.

"Yes, but I'd like to know just what this Ronic and Bruno are doing with my ship!" Meta Knight growled, "Miss Riverdale... by any chance did you get the origin of this transmission?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Garna smirked, "I wasn't able to get an exact match, but try the Serpent's Eye Desert."

"Holy shit!" Neo commented.

"That's what Roaren and I said when we got the feed! Use caution, because it's not just the Masher you'll have to worry about. Honestly, I'd be far more worried about those two, especially the short stuff! Do NOT underestimate them!" Garna warned.

"Understood, Guild Mistress!" Geoffrey said.

"By the way... there's a gray batamon that's been sniffing around Thea'or, bounty hunter by the look of it." Garna mentioned.

"Son of a bitch, I thought we killed that guy!" Kautounie snarled angrily.

"Garna... if you're talking about who I think you're talking about, be very careful. His name is-" Geoffrey began.

"Dusk." Garna finished for him, "Yeah, he and I go back a little ways..." she added, taking a very finely crafted dagger off her belt, "I'm saving this for him if he comes back!"

Geoffrey looked a little bit uncomfortable at the sight of that particular knife. The hilt was designed with the heads of two rattlesnakes, while the black blade was wavy, ending in a very fine point. Meta Knight's eyes flashed green for a minute as well. He couldn't quite remember, but there was something disturbingly familiar about that particular knife.

"By the way, nice job stealing that town... keep the pack together. Out!" Garna announced, before ending the conversation.

Geoffrey put the Xtransiear away, sighing heavily. At least they knew that the Halberd was still in one piece, unless that lunatic started dismantling it by now. And what of the crew? There was no word about them. Tiff was fighting to hold back her tears as her thoughts overwhelmed her. For all she knew, that madman could have simply slaughtered her family.

"Hey, take it easy," Kautounie said, kneeling beside the apprentice mage, "Nothing has been set in stone as of yet. Keep strong, for your pack, your family."

Kirby squirmed in Neo's arms, giving her a pathetic look, asking her to set him down. Naturally, the young healer obliged, though she could see that Meta Knight didn't look to well. Was it the fact that his ship was in the hands of the enemy? The fact that he knew nothing about the condition of his crew? Or, come to think of it, he looked pretty uncomfortable, as did Geoffrey, at the sight of that rattlesnake dagger Garna had brandished. Whatever it was, Meta Knight wasn't sharing.

Well, playtime was over. But at least part of the puzzle had been solved. Now they just had to find the missing pieces.

*Portside Inn*

Kirby and his team left the beach and returned to their room at the Portside Inn, which happened to be the only hotel in the small town. Like everywhere else in the surfer town, the place kept true with an ocean theme. Nothing formal, the color scape was anything from ocean blue to sea green. It wasn't exactly huge, but they couldn't complain, considering they were allowed to stay for free since their discharge from the clinic. At least it was comfortable and clean, and if the bugbears had gone through the place, it would have been difficult to tell.

Dinner that night felt somewhat uncomfortable, considering that no one, with the exception of Kirby, really felt like eating. It was weird, they should have been relieved that that Halberd was still around, but they weren't.

"Well, I do know that Brandon would like to see us off tomorrow morning." Geoffrey mentioned, while picking at the plate of food in front of him.

"Poyo, Geoff?" Kirby asked, his dark blue eyes darting to the food, then up to Geoffrey.

"Chow down, kiddo." the rogue sighed.

Delighted, Kirby obliged, inhaling the meal and the plate in one gulp. Realizing what he had done, the smaller puffball spat the plate back up, neatly in front of Geoffrey, then smiled.

"Thanks..." Geoffrey said, sarcastically.

That night, the group left to their separate rooms, girls in one, guys in the other. Surprisingly, Tiff and the sisters had very little to say and fell asleep quickly. They would all need a good night's rest. There was no telling when they would see a settlement again once they left Portside.

In the guys' room, Geoffrey and Knuckle Joe were already asleep, the latter of the two choosing the most comfortable wall by the door. Meta Knight however, found himself waking up in the middle of the night. Another nightmare, another bad thought, he was used to it by now. Since Nightmare's resurrection, whenever Meta Knight would close his eyes, the old star warrior would often hear Holy Nightmare's voice, taunting him, tormenting him. He didn't tell the others, as he didn't want anyone to needlessly worry and fawn over him, though he couldn't help but notice that his nightmares were recurring more and more often and getting steadily worse. Sighing, Meta Knight climbed out of bed and perched on the windowsill, opening the window for some fresh, ocean air. The old veteran closed his amber eyes as the cool night air caressed his armored body.

"Her crew will be alright... she will be alright." he quietly assured himself, taking in a few deep breaths, "Holy Nightmare is only toying with my mind. I must not let him win! I must remain strong, for myself, for my friends... for my family."

"Poy-poyo, Medi Kni.?" Kirby babbled softly, sitting up in bed, blue eyes fixed on his worried mentor.

Meta Knight turned to look at his apprentice, "What are you doing up?"

Kirby didn't say anything, though he wrapped his blankets more tightly around his body, blinking up to his teacher. Ah, must have been the cold. Meta Knight sighed, then closed the window before returning to his own bed. He couldn't have been comfortable when he slept, considering he was in full armor and didn't even tuck under the covers.

"Poyo, no... be scared, Medi Kni." Kirby chided softly

"I'm not scared, little one. Just a bad dream..." Meta Knight explained, "I'm used to them by now."

Kirby remained full of worry. His mentor may have been playing it cool, but there was no hiding the fear in his golden eyes. Meta Knight just sighed again, "You shouldn't worry yourself about me! Go on, little warrior, off to bed with you now. We're leaving early in the morning."

Meta Knight watched his apprentice silently as the little pink puff settled down into bed and went back to sleep. He watched over the child a little while longer until he could no longer do so. Reluctantly, Meta Knight closed his golden eyes again and let sleep take him.

*Early the Next Morning*

Sure enough, while finishing packing up their gear and horses that morning, the Mayor of Portside, Brandon Stormrider, approached the group. Although still wearing his colorful Hawaiian print shirt and a pair of swim trunks, the surfer was also carrying the enchanted spear that the chief, Lurtzak, had been using. Strangely enough, the powerful weapon had shrunk down to fit his smaller size.

"Whoa dudes, leaving so soon?" Brandon asked, "The sun's barely even up."

"We've got a long road ahead of us," Kautounie explained.

"It was a real pleasure meeting you guys and babes, though preferably it would have been nicer under better circumstances. If you hadn't come along... I have no idea what would be of our humble little town." Brandon said, "Anyway, it was real lucky that you did."

"Lucky for us you were here too," Tiff mentioned, smiling, and causing Brandon to blush a little, "You saved myself, Kirby, Neo, Kautounie, and Knuckle Joe.

Brandon nervously ran his free hand through his thick blue hair, twitching his spear in the other hand, "I-I don't really know how I can ever fully repay you guys."

"All things considered, I'd say we're even." Meta Knight said, nodding.

Before heading out, Neo handed Brandon a small bottle. As she had promised a few days ago, some of her special zwetoock medicine, Gaiaroot Extract, for the clinic and a couple of healing spells from the spare spell books they were carrying around, to which Brandon thanked her profusely. Kirby, although still not entirely big on words, bounded up to the mayor, babbling happily.

"I'll miss you, little dude. Keep strong and kick ass!" Brandon encouraged.

"So what will you do now?" Knuckle Joe asked.

"You know..." Brandon sighed, looking to the spear he held, "We've always been warriors on the waves around these parts, perhaps it's time we become warriors on the beach! With Nightmare back for real, we've had to make a few changes around here."

"Good call." Kautounie said, "Ever consider an alliance with The Wolves of Thea'or?"

"Huh... radical, dude. Might just have to check into that."

Brandon took a step back, giving the adventuring group wide birth to lead their horses out. He'd miss them to be certain, but now they had the means to protect the town themselves. Besides, he understood that they had a job to do, "Alright, dudes. Good luck and hang ten!"

"Hang ten, Mr. Mayor." Neo called back as she waved.

The break was over, back to the mission! Now more then ever, it was important that they reach Serpent's Eye. But, on their way out of town, there was a familiar face to greet them on the beach. True to his word, Vol'drocken knew exactly where to find the group, just as he said he would.

"Is that your crazy red knight, Tiff?" Knuckle Joe whispered.

"Mhmm." Tiff nodded, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

How did this guy know where they were?

"Well, well, well..." Kautounie said slowly, "Guys, sis, this is Vol'drocken."

Vol'drocken approached the group, then bowed politely, his bright green eyes radiated by the morning sunlight, "Ah, good to see you, Star Warriors, rogue, ladies." he began, "I sense that you dear girl, Tiff was it?"

"Er... yes..." Tiff answered.

"Ah yes, you have something of mine."

The others looked at Tiff in confusion, and she herself looked a little baffled. At first she didn't recall anything. It could have been her ring, but then again, she had that when Vol'drocken asked herself, Kirby, and Kautounie to accept his quest. Then she suddenly remembered. That shiny object she had found in the sand while battling Susshi! With all the events that had been transpiring, Tiff had nearly forgotten about it.

"What's he talkin' about, Tiff?" Knuckle Joe asked, frowning slightly.

"I found this... while we were in the water fighting that monster." Tiff explained, pulling the silver object out of her pocket.

The item was a sea shell, chrome silver in color. Quite an odd specimen, one Tiff would have liked to have put in her own private collection. But, Vol'drocken had indeed identified that the shell was in fact, one of his missing treasures. With great difficulty, Tiff handed the shell to the red knight.

"My good luck charm, you see. Thank you, milady," Vol'drocken said, as he turned around and walked further down the beach, "You have proven yourselves worthy in battle, and your selflessness knows no bounds."

"You flatter us but..." Geoffrey started.

He blinked in confusion. Where did he go? Vol'drocken vanished right before their eyes. Was he even real? Come to think of it, he didn't even leave any footprints in the sand. Yet again, he had to have been real, considering that the shell Tiff gave to him was gone.

"Spooky..." Knuckle Joe muttered.

"He just took off..." Neo muttered, taking a quick look around.

"At least he didn't take my ring." Tiff said, with a smirk.

She gave her horse, Gyaroppu, a light scratch on the muzzle before climbing up onto her, with some difficulty, but she was getting better.

"I'm proud of you, Tiff." Meta Knight said, startling the girl for a moment, "It is not always easy to part with that which we want to keep for ourselves."

"Guess it wasn't really mine to keep." Tiff shrugged.

"Poyo, Tiff! Poyo!" Kirby chirped, giving his big sister one of his cute smiles.

Kautounie gently picked up the child, setting him in front of Tiff. Everyone mounted up on their usual horses, and galloped off down the beach, with more determination then ever. Portside was quickly hidden behind the cliffs, and it was back into the wild.

 **IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~**

Three more days of nothing but coast. For a while it seemed as though the Ember Sea went on forever. But slowly, the cliff sides began to sink back down into the earth and grass and dirt turned to sand. The air was becoming hotter and dryer. Serpent's Eye was getting close. Why was the desert called Serpent's Eye, you might ask? Probably because it sounded scary.

Eventually, there was no more grass, no more trees, just sand and rocks as far as they eye could see. It was early in the morning, and the sun was just starting to come up.

"Here we are..." Kautounie announced, stopping her horse for a moment.

"At the threshold of Hell." Geoffrey muttered, looking further into the barren sea of sand.

Kirby looked up to Tiff, then over to Meta Knight and Knuckle Joe. They had all come this far, way to far to turn around now.

"Well, we've come from a sea of water... now we shall traverse a sea of fire." Meta Knight exclaimed.

"Just be glad that right now, it's Winter." Neo mentioned, before starting forward.

Hearts pounding with excitement and anticipation, the team started forward into the desert. Next destination, the little pile of dirt called, Harmony. Perhaps there, all the riddles would be answered. But first, they had to get there.

 **Author's Notes::** The mystery to the Halberd's disappearance has finally been... er... partially solved! Now they know a madman and an idiot somehow got their hands on it. Even Riley was shocked. By the way, there were some parts of this that my brother nearly choked on his laughter as he read them, believe it or not. Meanwhile, Dusk the bounty hunter is starting to stir up trouble in Thea'or. Just what is he up too? We also get a visit from that strange red knight, Vol'drocken. So, it's good-bye to the coastline, hello hot and arid desert sun! Got more questions? Want to know what happens next? Keep watchin'...

Oh, and I know I keep on pushing this, but please, please, PLEASE, provided you can handle uncensored content, check out my latest story I'm going to be working on alongside IYNMs, Dream Weavers! It hasn't been getting much attention and since it's my newest brainchild, I'd like DWs to get some much deserved love too. If you love the Redsuns here, you'll love them there too. Reviews and constructive criticism is always appreciated.

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	23. Harmony

In You're Nightmares, Harmony

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, Possibly One of the Most Sickeningly Cute Moments in Fanfic History, and a Town that's just a Tad too Perfect, and I mean, too Perfect.

'We've finally made it to the desert, and I must say, you'd never even guess it was Winter here. Just a week ago we were battling snow storms and blistering cold, now it's scorching, arid heat. Don't get me wrong, I'm used to warm weather, Dreamland is quite warm, even in Winter. But I wasn't quite ready for this. So far, there hasn't been much except for sand and rocks. Good thing the sisters and myself have some of those water conjuring spells. They sure have come in handy. Anyway, we're all keeping our eyes out for the Halberd. Hopefully, her crew, my friends, and my family are okay. Kirby's been helping me through this. He's been staying real close to myself and Meta Knight.'

The Thoughts of Tiff Ebrum

'Hmmm, for the last few days I've been thinking about that Ronic guy. I never thought I'd see someone more unstable the Garna, or even Dr. Knarks for that matter. Still, how did he and that plate mail ox, Bruno, capture an entire warship? The Masher, perhaps? Or maybe there is no Masher 2.0 and it's simply a misidentification. So far, nothing is for sure. I mean, if anything was ever for sure, then how come that slimy bounty hunter, Dusk, has been spotted in Thea'or, Thieves' District, no less. I know a lot of the people there. Seriously, if we don't kill him, those guys will. Bounty Hunters, especially ones that associate themselves with Holy Nightmare and the Bloodtooths, tend to have short lifespans in Thea'or. *Sigh* The sooner we sort out this mess the better. I... I feel a little embarrassed to admit this... but I really, REALLY dislike deserts. It's not the heat or sand, not even the scorpions... it's the snakes! Ick!'

The Thoughts of Geoffrey 'Redsun' Collins

'From snow and ice too sand and heat. We've been sent all over the place! I'm confident that the people of Portside can take care of themselves now, though I'll admit I wasn't entirely happy about leaving them behind. But if Brandon can become as good of a warrior as he is both mayor and doctor, I'm sure they'll be fine. As of right now, I find my thoughts drifting to the Halberd. I didn't know much of the people on there, save for Sword, Blade, the king, and that slippery snail. But Tiff's entire pack was... is... on that ship. She's trying to be brave, but I can tell she's worried sick. Ever since she saw the pirated transmission Garna sent to us.'

The Thoughts of Neo Redsun

'All you need to know is in Harmony. Dear Sundar I hope that tiki is right. Either way, sounds like we're going to have a lot of trouble on our hands and paws soon enough. Portside? That was just a warm up. Already I can feel the tension building up in this arid desert wind. If you can't take the heat, don't screw with the dragon!'

The Thoughts of Kautounie Redsun

'My nightmares have steadily been escalating. So far, only Kirby suspects that something is wrong, although I tell him nothing. But I've trained the little one well, a little to well, perhaps. I know I should be relieved to know that my ship is still in one piece. But there was no word about her crew! My crew. Perhaps this little town in the desert will have all the answers we look for, or nothing at all. I myself, am ready for anything. I can only pray my apprentice and companions will be!'

The Thoughts of Sir Meta Knight

'Hmmm, the other two times Kirby and I have faced Masher, he was working alone! If those two jokers Garna showed us in that stolen transmission are working with that monster, things could get a lot more complicated. I'm used to working alone or with Kirby, not with a whole team. So far, the Horvians, human and furballs alike, have been good in a scrap. They just better be great for what's coming up!'

The Thoughts of Knuckle Joe

*Somewhere in the Serpent's Eye*

So far travel in this dry land had been manageable. At least the team hadn't run into anything that wanted to eat them, a good start. Though with the sun beating down from a cloudless sky, it was beginning to take it's toll.

Serpent's Eye Desert, nothing but sand, rocks, and the occasional shrub. While they traveled, Tiff couldn't help but wonder why anyone would build a town out here in the first place.

There was no sign of the ocean when looking back, and everyone in the group began to have the slightest twinge in their gut that they had gotten lost.

Due to the heat, the Redsun sisters were forced to take off their jackets and even Geoffrey had taken off his leather duster. It was amazing that Meta Knight wasn't cooking inside his own armor. That stubborn knight refused to remove his mask and cape. (Honestly, that could not have been much fun to be wearing.)

"To think it's Winter right now." Neo muttered.

As of this moment, the team was wondering through a vast expansion of natural rock formations in the desert. Right now, they couldn't afford to push their mounts too much, and had to go at a walk. And to think this was only day two.

"Perhaps we should rest now and travel when it's dark." Meta Knight suggested.

"Yeah, I agree, buddy." Geoffrey said, "We should have done that yesterday, too."

"Hey, didn't we pass that rock about two times already?" Knuckle Joe asked.

Once that was pointed out, Tiff halted her horse, letting out an irritated growl.

"Poyo." Kirby muttered, closing his eyes and sighing heavily.

He could tell that Tiff's temper had reached it's boiling point.

"You're telling me we've been going in circles?!" Tiff demanded.

"Everything here looks alike!" Kautounie grumbled.

Growls and grumbles out of their systems, it was agreed. Since traveling in daylight only led to bad sunburns and worse tempers, (not to mention headaches, in more ways then one,) the team decided to stop for the day and rest, so they could pick up and travel at night. Kautounie and Neo took care of the horses while the others set up camp. At least the towering rocks above them granted shade and shelter from the harshness of the desert. It was a difficult adjustment to be certain. No one, with the exception of Geoffrey and Meta Knight perhaps, was used to sleeping in the bright sunlight. But, because camp had been set up, Meta Knight decided that it was his turn to take charge. Heat or no, he insisted on taking Kirby out to train.

"Really Meta Knight, in this heat?" Tiff complained, "Kirby could get heat stroke, or worse! You could get heat stroke!"

"As a Star Warrior, Kirby must learn what it feels like to fight in less then ideal conditions." Meta Knight retorted, "He battled well in the ice and snow, now it is time to see how well Kirby can take the heat!"

The elder warrior turned away for a moment to collect his apprentice, then turned around, "By the way, Tiff. If you are to become a Star Warrior yourself, perhaps you should train with us!"

At Tiff's open mouthed stunned expression, Knuckle Joe just began laughing. Kautounie and Neo both rolled their eyes. But come to think of it, at the moment, they had a free pass since they were taking care of their transportation. However, what happened next was inevitable.

"Go on Kirby, take care of Tiff while you're out there." Knuckle Joe said, giving his round pink buddy a pat on the back.

"You too, Knuckle Joe." Meta Knight ordered, "Come on!"

Now it was Tiff's turn to give the little fighter a smug look.

Knuckle Joe may have fought beside Meta Knight on occasion, but he had never gone through training under him. Let's just say that the cocky little fighter suddenly found himself respecting Kirby and Meta Knight both that much more. He learned first hand just how harsh the elder star warrior's training methods could be.

About halfway through training, Neo and Kautounie had willingly joined in with Meta Knight's training session while Geoffrey kept watch. Okay, more like jumping in and tackling Meta Knight's students to the ground, just as he was describing the importance of staying alert. Oddly enough, the sisters made the blue warrior's point.

"You can get off me any time." Knuckle Joe grumbled.

"I know I can!" Kautounie huffed, smiling down at the smaller warrior she had pinned beneath her, "I just don't want to."

With a grunt, the elf-like fighter wriggled his way out of Kautounie's grasp, though Meta Knight knew it was only because she didn't want to hurt him; had she wanted to, Kautounie could have kept Joe right where he was. Meanwhile, Kirby was at a disadvantageous duel with Neo, since he was on his back in the sand and Neo was crouched over him.

"Go on, lets see you get out, then!" Meta Knight said, flatly, "You're stronger then this, I know it."

Kirby looked uncertain. He didn't want to hurt Neo, especially considering she was one of the group healers.

"Alrighty then, I guess you're all mine!" Neo taunted.

The young cub was quite surprised when Kirby took a swing right for her nose, then pushed her off with quite a feat of strength. She knew of his skills in battle to be certain, but it was quite amazing to see just how strong such an adorable cuddle puff could be. Kirby let out a little yip of his own, which Neo guessed was supposed to be a growl of warning. She had to admit, it was cute.

"Well done." Meta Knight praised, nodding in approval.

For the last half of training, Meta Knight had them practice their skills with each other. If anyone got hurt, Tiff and Neo would stop what they were doing and heal them. Training against each other in the desert heat was grueling, but Meta Knight wasn't letting up. He and Kirby dueled with swords, while Neo went over some more Blade Dance techniques with Tiff. Kautounie and Knuckle Joe squared off in hand to hand combat, though Kautounie would occasionally throw in a spell or two just to startle the fighter.

"Hey, you can't use spells!" Knuckle Joe protested.

"Why not?" Kautounie asked, "On the battlefield, there are no rules. As a monster hunter, I thought you would have known that."

"Oh, you're good furball, I'll admit it!"

And with that exchange, the fight continued. Both elf and zwetoock were light on their feet, though Kautounie did have a slight advantage thanks to her claws and bigger size, until Knuckle Joe began lobbing Smash Punches at her, that is.

"Damn, that actually hurts!" Kautounie muttered, taking a second to lick her paw before pouncing into the melee again.

Meanwhile, on Tiff's and Neo's end, the zwetoock mage begun to show Tiff how to turn her Fire spell into a shield, while at the same time using her wand to attack. It wasn't easy, and the harsh sun beating down wasn't making it any easier.

"I think that the last thing we need right now is fire." Tiff commented.

Neo only cocked an eye ridge at the young girl. With a groan, Tiff cast her fire spell and extended Wicked's acid whip at the same time. Tiff was still on the offense, and although her Fire spell was good, she needed a lot more work before molding it into a shield.

"How was that?" Tiff asked, breathing heavily.

"You've got good form, Tiff. You just need..." Neo paused for a moment.

"More control, you think?" Tiff asked nervously, looking to the glassy patch of sand that was about ten feet away from her.

"Yeah. Well, I could go for some food right about now, how about yourself?"

One thing was for sure, Neo knew that she and her sister would want to hold off on teaching Tiff Fireball or any of the other big and nasty spells until she learned how to command her Fire spell with more control. Tiff looked a little bit frustrated, but she was to exhausted to argue at this time.

Meanwhile, Meta Knight put Kirby through his paces, and was pleased to see his apprentice was not letting the heat get to him, in fact, he was quite impressed to see just how much his apprentice had improved. It seemed that with each practice session, Kirby would leave training with less and less cuts and bruises.

"Excellent, you have retained good form," Meta Knight acknowledged, thrusting to the left, to which Kirby blocked, "And your defending is getting much better, however..." the blue warrior cut himself off, surprising Kirby by vanishing with a flap of his dimensional cape.

Meta Knight appeared behind Kirby, but in a stunning display, the smaller warrior blocked his master's attack, then spun around to face him.

"Good, good. Your injury has not affected your flexibility." Meta Knight mused, his eyes glowing green for a moment.

Mentor and apprentice clashed swords once again, though Kirby found himself momentarily distracted by a flash of orange and green fire coming from Tiff as she and Neo practiced. Meta Knight took this opportunity to rap his apprentice over the head with his sword. It wasn't enough to hurt him, but it was enough to get his attention. Kirby let out a startled yelp, then bowed his head to his teacher in shame.

"If I were a demon beast, I could have killed you," Meta Knight warned, "Focus, now."

Kirby took a step back and crouched low to the ground. Meta Knight couldn't be entirely certain, but he thought that Kirby was trying to copy the fighting style that the zwetoocks and Geoffrey liked to use, though his small round body wasn't exactly designed for it. The elder warrior ducked out of the way of the first two slashes, then blocked Kirby's third attack. He was about to give his pupil another pointer, then he felt something cold against his belly. Meta Knight's golden eyes widened when he saw that Kirby pressed a small, but equally deadly, knife against him. He must have whipped it out during the duel. One thing was for sure, if Kirby was the enemy, Meta Knight would have been gutted then and there. Kirby smirked up to his mentor, a mischievous glint in his bright eyes.

"Impressive, my little warrior!" Meta Knight praised, "I consign defeat. That will be all. Go and rest now."

Kirby felt so proud of himself. This time, he was not beaten into unconsciousness or forced into a draw. He had won the duel, and Meta Knight accepted it. Kirby thought about bounding off to join the rest of the group as they gathered around Geoffrey under the shade of a towering rock formation, but he had something to do first.

"Poyo, Medi Kni!" he purred happily, leaping up onto the adult warrior, knocking him to the ground.

Meta Knight lay on the flat of his back and let out an audible groan as his apprentice hugged and nuzzled him affectionately. Then, with a mischievous smile concealed behind his armor, the blue puffball turned the tables on his apprentice, giving Kirby a firm reminder that he was still the mentor. Kirby yelped in surprise when Meta Knight twisted around, then gently pushed him into the ground on his back. Now it was Kirby who was at his teacher's mercy.

It was a silly idea, and Meta Knight might later regret acting upon it, (especially with so many witnesses around) but he used one hand to hold Kirby still, and with the other, began scribbling his fingers across the child star warrior's belly, tickling him. This resulted in some playful laughter from his apprentice as Kirby squirmed in his grip, and even Meta Knight found himself chuckling a little at the child's playfulness.

"Second lesson for the day," Meta Knight said, still not letting up his playful attack as Kirby writhed and squeaked out adorable giggles, "Never leave any vulnerable spots open, young one!"

"Medi Kni! Stop... hehe!" Kirby pleaded, "That tickles!"

"Hmmm, no, I don't think so, little one. You'll get no mercy from the enemy, and even less from me!"

Mentor and apprentice played together in this matter for a little bit. A few times Kirby had even managed to tickle back. Meta Knight nearly choked on his laughter, trying as hard as he could to keep it contained. (Though the cheers from his friends were NOT helping any.) Eventually, in between his laughs, Kirby squirmed out of Meta Knight's grasp and retreated to the safety of his companions, presumably so that he could share what all happened with them before turning in.

Meta Knight shook his head, confused. What did he do to make the little guy love him that much? Perhaps he'd never fully understand.

Meta Knight saw Geoffrey give the pink puffball an approving nod and a smile, then look to him. Tiff was quick to give Kirby her praises as well. Regaining his usual composure, the veteran wrapped his cape around himself and joined his companions.

"So, while you guys were... training," Geoffrey began, pausing as he threw a quick glance to Meta Knight, "I've temporarily converted the Xtransiear into a map of the Serpent's Eye, so come tonight we'll be able to get out of this sand trap." he explained.

"Why didn't we just do that before?" Kautounie asked.

"Ahe... he... heh... Good question." Geoffrey admitted.

Well, to late to think about it to long for now. It was late afternoon, and it was time to get some rest before making their way across the desert at night. After all, it is in the dark when many of the creepy crawlies and dangerous beasties liked to come out. While Geoffrey stayed on watch for the first half of their rest, Kirby decided to cuddle up with Tiff and Kautounie.

"Next time, I'll hold the tough guy down for you, Kirby." Kautounie whispered, before drifting off.

"Nah... Kirby can... *yawn* do it by self." Kirby sighed contently before closing his eyes.

Knuckle Joe unwittingly fell asleep right next to Neo. The young cub opened up one amber eye lazily, and decided it would be to much of a hassle to shove him away.

Meta Knight was grateful to be left alone to sleep this time around. He had enough hugs and cuddles for one day, more then enough, actually. Plus he'd have to think of some new ways to squirm and B.S. his way out of the many teasings and comments that were coming his way. Meta Knight still wasn't sure what possessed him to do that. Still, although a bit upset over loosing to his own apprentice, he couldn't help but feel proud of him at the same time.

"Better get some sleep, buddy. Sun will be down in a few hours." Geoffrey mentioned, "By the way, that was real nice what you did for Kirby."

"What do you mean, Geoffrey?" Meta Knight inquired. "He won our duel all on his own."

"I meant playing with the little guy after training. You really opened up, there may be hope for you yet."

"Hmph, you misunderstand, my friend. I don't play. I was merely teaching him a lesson. He's the student and I am the master. Kirby just needed a firm but gentle reminder, that's all." Meta Knight stated, before curling up on his bedroll, making himself as comfortable as he could given the conditions.

Geoffrey just snorted, but left it alone from there. He knew Meta Knight was in denial.

"Just keep telling yourself that, buddy."

*Serpent's Eye Desert, Nighttime*

The air outside remained dry, though it was much colder. Despite this, Meta Knight finally thought that he would have a peaceful rest. Alas, sometime during his sleep, that cold, familiar voice began creeping into his mind once again, _"What a disgustingly sweet display! Oh, oh Meta Knight, tisk, tisk, tisk, not going soft on me now, are we? Hmhmhmhmmmm. You can't shut me out forever, I'll find my way back in. Your love for that child shall be your downfall!"_

Meta Knight groaned softly when he felt something prodding against his body. At first he reflexively jerked back and his hand reached for the sword at his side. Then, his bright, golden eyes blinked open, and he looked up to see Kirby, gently nudging him awake.

"Hi." Kirby chirped, waving his small arm cutely.

Meta Knight relaxed, if only a little, when he saw that it was only his apprentice. He sighed heavily, thinking about the nightmare he just had. At Kirby's concerned look, Meta Knight assured him that it was nothing that he couldn't handle.

It was nearly nightfall, as of right now the only light was coming from the setting sun and the faintly visible moon coming to life above them. Tiff and Knuckle Joe were just beginning to wake up themselves. Geoffrey and Neo already had the horses saddled and ready to go, while Kautounie began packing up camp.

"Rise and shine. We're burning up moonlight, so we'd better get a move on." Kautounie said.

The zwetoock paused for a moment, ears perked, then snatched up something unseen by the others from the sand, "Ah, a tasty treat." she mused.

Knuckle Joe and Tiff felt momentarily repulsed when they saw that what Kautounie was snacking on was a scorpion. A "Baby Giant Scorpion", as she corrected. Tiff shook her head, deciding that it was better to join Meta Knight and Kirby. She liked the Redsuns, but first goblins and bugbears, now scorpions? Gross!

"Oh lookie here, sis!" Neo called, picking up something very long and slithery off the ground.

At the sight of the small serpent Neo held in her hands, Geoffrey leaped backwards in a comical fashion. Never had such a girly yelp been emitted from from a male of the human race before. Knuckle Joe and Tiff were enjoying a good laugh at his expense, right up until Geoffrey went for one of his guns.

"Hehe, calm down, brother. It's not even a venomous one." Neo sighed.

"I don't... care!" Geoffrey growled, "Get that thing the f*** away from me."

"Geoffrey really, REALLY hates snakes." Kautounie mentioned to the star warriors, pointing out the obvious, "This is a relatively calm reaction."

"I never would have guessed." Meta Knight grumbled, sarcastically.

With not a trace left of their campsite, (and once Geoffrey got his heart rate back down to normal,) the team was off. Since they were traveling in the dark, Geoffrey had one of his handguns fitted with a small flashlight under the barrel. Neo held her wand aloft, letting it glow with soft green light. Meanwhile, Meta Knight took charge of the Xtransiear while sitting behind Geoffrey.

Having navigated their way out of the rocky labyrinth, (thankfully without encountering anything that wanted to kill them), the group found themselves facing an endless sea of sand and dunes. The strangest thing however, there were no signs of any wildlife, or life in general, save for perhaps the scorpion Kautounie ate and the little snake Neo had "shared." Though it was known that the Stargazer pack, a nomadic clan of zwetoock horse masters, would cross the desert from time to time. Thankfully, they shared no ill will with the Redsuns, but it would be for the best if they remained unhindered by them for now.

"This is weird. I know it's a desert, but even these sorts of places have ecosystems." Tiff commented.

"Masher probably scared anything that was living away." Knuckle Joe said.

"A possibility. But if this thing is as big as you say, then why are there no signs of it?" Neo questioned.

At this time, there were no answers, only more questions. The group moved on a little farther in silence, then Kirby took notice of something. He nudged Tiff once, pointing ahead.

"What is it, Kirby?" Tiff asked, squinting in the darkness.

She sped up, galloping ahead of the group on Gyaroppu.

"Tiff, wait up!" Kautounie called, spurring Diesel after her.

Tiff slowed down, taking Wicked out of it's sheath and summoning a small torch at the tip so she could see more clearly. It was not what she was expecting. A few construction machines, just parked out in the middle of nowhere, and a solid paved road cutting through the sand and rock. She knew it was out of place, and must have been recently put in.

"Poyo, Tiff?" Kirby asked, craning his head to look up to his big sister.

"I don't know Kirby, but I can't help but feel..." Tiff paused once the other members of the group caught up with her.

"Tiff, you ought to know better then to just split off from the pack without any warning or planning." Neo scolded, once she caught up, "This place may be easier to travel at night, but most demon beasts and monsters are nocturnal by nature."

"You worry to much sometimes, little sister." Kautounie sighed.

"Yeah... but what's up with this here?" Geoffrey asked, having Gunner step onto the smooth roadway surface.

"This is what Kirby saw." Tiff explained, "I guess I got a little anxious, that's all."

"It's a road, so what?" Knuckle Joe snorted.

"Yes, a road that is not labeled on Geoffrey's map." Meta Knight pointed out, "And it appears to be heading right towards the direction... of Harmony."

Now that was strange. Why wouldn't something like this be labeled on any map? Stranger still, as mentioned by Meta Knight, this road was leading straight towards where Harmony was located on their map.

"Of course, it could be a trap of some sort." Meta Knight warned.

"Everything out here could be a trap." Knuckle Joe scoffed.

"Hmmm, out of place road, leading straight to our destination. This has trap written all over it." Neo mused.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Kautounie asked, starting forward.

Why build a nice, new road leading to Harmony? There wasn't exactly a high demand to go to that little dust pile. Things weren't exactly adding up, there was Kabu's message, then Garna's transmission, and now this? So far, none of their questions had been answered, there were only new ones being added to the list.

Kirby and his team picked up the pace after a little while. The scenery seemed all the same, lasting for miles. Then, there were several shining lights in the distance. When the team moved closer, they could see buildings. From what they could make out in the dark, it was highly reminiscent of one of those towns you'd see in the Old West, with some modern additions, of course.

Most of the town was built up on simple wooden structures with one main road, (the spiffy, brand new paved road they traveled to be precise) splinting the town in half. To the right there was a water tower and to the left there appeared to be a small airfield, surrounded by a rusty chain link fence. Outside the fence but close to the airfield were two warehouses. But there was nothing that would be big enough to house the Halberd and keep it concealed. At the edge of town, in front of the water tower, there was a severely beaten up metal sign reading, "Welcome to the Town of Harmony, population, 24.5."

"How exactly did they come up with that number?" Tiff asked, baffled.

"Poyo." Kirby agreed.

"Hmph, this planet is full of crazies." Knuckle Joe commented.

As the team was soon to find out, Knuckle Joe's comment was about to be proved true. It was as if they were being expected. Blocking the road was a group of six people, four men, two woman. Three of the men looked like the sturdy ranch hand sort. They were wearing plain worn jeans, flannel shirts and traditional cowboy hats. One of the woman, a plump elderly lady who had the look of a hungry grizzly about her, hefted a rifle over her shoulder. The other woman, this one having that "Rancher's Daughter" appeal, appeared to be the friendliest out of all of them. Geoffrey couldn't be certain, but he could have sworn this girl was flirting with him, posing herself just right wearing those Daisy Dukes (For those of you unfamiliar with that term, try shortie shorts), cut-off flannel shirt, and one of her hands resting on the gun at her hip. Her long blonde hair was loose, accented by the cowboy hat she wore. The last one, and apparent leader of the welcoming committee was a tough looking, weather beaten old man, wearing a dark brown leather duster and a black stetson hat. His hair, which may have been golden at one time, was now gray. In his hands he held a rifle, and when the wind picked up, it revealed two revolvers under his coat.

Kirby and the team approached with caution. However, the reaction was not at all what they were expecting.

"Howdy strangers, fancy seein' you here in this fine town of ours." The grizzled, rough man at the front said, waving.

"Oh poor things must have been wonderin' through the desert all dang day!" said the young blonde woman.

"Ummm, actually it's really not as bad as you might have thought." Geoffrey admitted, "Though your concern is touching."

"But really, you must be exhausted!" insisted Blondy.

Okay, so the team had gotten to Harmony, expecting a rather hostile reaction given their welcoming committee and instead were showered with concern and kindness.

"Better then bullets, I suppose." Tiff muttered, leaning in closer to Geoffrey and Meta Knight.

Blondy, the grizzly woman, and the old man strode forward, stopping about five feet away from Kirby and the team.

"So, what brings you here travelers to Harmony?" asked the old woman.

"We heard rumors of a monster around here! A big one!" Knuckle Joe answered, as he dismounted his horse.

There was a silence, then the three of them just started laughing. Strange, Knuckle Joe didn't hear anything funny.

"I do declare, hon! There ain't no monsters round' these parts!" Blondy giggled, "Buzzards, snakes, and scorpions, maybe. But no monsters."

After they got over their laughing fit, the three of them explained that they must have been mistaken and it was a pity to have come all this way for nothing. But since they had come so far, the least they could do was show some weary travelers a bit of hospitality.

"That is very kind of you," Meta Knight said, jumping off of Gunner's back, "I am Sir Meta Knight, and these are my companions. My apprentice, Kirby, Tiff, Knuckle Joe, and the Redsuns, Kautounie, Neo, and Geoffrey." he introduced.

"Oh my! I only heard that there was an adventurin' group wonderin' about, but I never thought you'd be stoppin' here!" gasped the elderly woman.

"Mighty pleased to meet you all! I'm Marshal, this here is my wife, Mildred, and my gorgeous daughter, Daisy." the grizzled man, Marshal, introduced.

Once introductions were out of the way, everyone dismounted and grabbed their most important packs off their horses. While Knuckle Joe looked more then just a little disappointed that there wasn't any monster around, Kirby was more then happy to make a new friend or three.

"Oh wow, Kirby... for real. You came all the way from Dreamland, didn't you?" Daisy asked, kneeling down to Kirby's level and lightly patting him on the head.

Kirby giggled happily, before dashing back to Tiff and Knuckle Joe.

"My, my, isn't he just the cutest little thing?" Daisy giggled, standing up.

"Why don't you folks get comfortable and settled in?" Marshal suggested, "My boys here can take care of your mounts and my daughter can take real good care of you."

So it was decided. Marshal and his men would take care of their horses while Daisy helped them get comfortable at the town's one and only inn. Kirby glanced to Meta Knight for his input, but the elder blue puffball simply wrapped his cape around his body. With a flirty look over her shoulder, Daisy motioned for the group to follow her. Neo and Kautounie had to smack Geoffrey several times along the way, since the rogue's eyes kept on trailing after the young woman's... assets.

"It's a guy thing, alright?" Geoffrey muttered, "I'm just admiring the view."

"Hey, uh, Daisy was it?" Knuckle Joe started.

Daisy stopped for a moment, then nodded, motioning for him to continue,

"Why would there be rumors floating around that there are monsters originating from this desert? There doesn't really appear to be to many people around here!" Knuckle Joe finished.

"Honey, it's probably just talk from them damn city slickers who don't like the way we run things down here." Daisy answered, "The people of the town run the town. We don't rely on the help of others round' these parts. Here in Harmony, everyone is armed and everyone is equal. That simple."

"When you put it that way..." Neo said, pausing for a moment.

Daisy led the group into one of the nicer buildings in the town. (Believe me, saying 'nicer' is a bit of a stretch.) The sign hanging off the very large porch said "The Rattlesnake Tavern and Miss Tracey's Brothel". Meta Knight's eyes noticeably widened, and every chivalrous muscle in his body was seizing up.

"Excuse me?" Meta Knight coughed, his throat feeling very dry (not just because of the desert, mind you), "I feel... dirty."

"What's wrong, hon?" Daisy asked, taking a glance at the sign, "Oh that. Don't you worry bout' a thing, sugar. It's just an inn, Miss Tracey never really got around to startin' up her business. Come to think of it, Miss Tracey ain't even round' anymore. We just never bothered to change the sign, that's all!" she explained.

Kirby gently nudged his mentor, just to make sure that he was alright. With a sigh, Meta Knight gave his apprentice a light pat on the head before shooing him off gently back to Tiff and Knuckle Joe. Daisy watched the exchange, giggling softly.

Geoffrey opened the door for his companions and Daisy, ushering them inside first.

"Ladies, my friends." Geoffrey said, giving a small bow,though jumping a little at the sight of the rattlesnake symbol carved into the door.

"My, my, what gentlemen we have here! Don't get many travelers, let alone polite ones, very often!" Daisy laughed, smiling ever so sweetly.

Meta Knight did not want to seem ungracious to his hostess, especially since she had been so kind to them, but there was something just a bit unsettling. He knew he had seen that look before... somewhere. Shaking his head, the old veteran pushed the thought out of his mind. Perhaps the heat of the desert from earlier had gotten to him.

The inside of the tavern was a little dusty, but not altogether intolerable. Against the far wall was a bar, with a couple stools, and several bottles of various alcohols on shelves. To the right was a small sitting area complete with a few small tables and reading lamps and an older then dirt TV set. The rest of the tavern was filled up by the seven or so tables and an assortment of chairs. Rickety old fashioned lamps kept the place lit. Behind the bar was a set of swinging doors, presumably leading into the kitchen, and on either side of the bar were two stairways heading to the second floor. But something was missing. Where were all the people?

"Ummm, why isn't there anyone here?" Tiff asked.

It was then that Daisy got to explaining that since there were hardly ever any travelers, they really had no need for an inn in the first place. But since it was combined with the tavern, they left the building up. When questioned as to why there was no barkeeper, Daisy calmly responded by explaining that people in Harmony tended to just go about and take what they wanted when they pleased. Well, if it works for them...

"Since everyone that lives here has a home of their own, the hotel has been unused for some time. But you're all welcome to make yourselves at home right here. Just mind your neighbors, and I'm not just talkin' about the people. Tehe!" Daisy giggled.

"Thank you for all your help." Tiff said, though her voice still sounded unsure.

"What do we owe you?" Geoffrey asked.

"Why nothin', darlin'! Just your thanks is plenty for us!" Daisy insisted. "Ya'll have a good night now, you hear?"

Before Daisy left, Meta Knight stepped forward anxiously, "Excuse me, Daisy. I just have one more question for you."

"Anything your little heart desires, honey!"

"Have you or anyone else around here seen a large airship in the area?" Meta Knight asked, "The Halberd, to be exact. It would be impossible to miss."

Daisy pursed her lips in thought for a moment, then shook her head, "Sorry sweetie, can't say that I have. If you're lookin' for warships and demon beasts, I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place. No one really sees those sorts of things in these parts! Well, see ya'll in the morning, take care now!"

And with that, their new best friend Daisy left, leaving them with the run of the entire inn. All things considered, that went better then expected. After exploring the entire first floor, the group adjured upstairs to get a look at where they would be sleeping for the night. There were eight rooms in all, each one with two beds, though sparsely furnished other then that. But it was free, so who could really complain? The group decided that they would split off into pairs, save for Meta Knight who took a room all to himself, claiming that he wanted some privacy.

Neo and Kautounie checked their rooms, sealing windows and the doors to make sure no uninvited visitors could get in without an invitation. Feeling more secure, the group unloaded their burdens and went down to the tavern floor and into the kitchen to get to work on a late night snack and discuss the situation. Having gone nocturnal for their journey through the desert, no one was the least bit ready for bed yet. Besides, they needed some time to talk things over.

Geoffrey was getting some assistance from Cook Kirby as he heated up some scrambled eggs over an old fashioned stove. For an abandoned inn, this place was quite neat and well stocked with fresh foods. But Neo and Kautounie both checked the food for any traces of poison or anything else unsavory and found nothing.

"I hope we didn't make this trip out here for nothing!" Knuckle Joe growled, "Masher and I are always destined to clash! Something deep down is tellin' me that that thing is here!"

"Come to think of it," Neo began, taking a moment to take a bite out of an apple she had found in the fridge, "When Sir Meta Knight inquired about the Halberd, he described it as an airship, but Daisy said warship. We never mentioned anything about a warship, specifically."

"You do have a very good point Neo. I myself was pondering that very same thing." Meta Knight mused.

"Poyo! Geoff!" Cook Kirby cried out as the stove nearly caught fire.

"Whoa! Damn it!" Geoffrey called out, snuffing out the flames that threatened to destroy his late night snack, "You know what I think? I think we better do some snooping around tomorrow."

"I'd say you're right! In fact I'm ready to start right now!" Knuckle Joe said.

"Easy there, killer." Geoffrey muttered.

Once the food was ready and everyone settled in, Tiff pulled the Star Piece out of her pocket and held it out. The broken Star Rod shone quite brightly, indicating that the next piece was very close.

"You know, the people here seem very nice." Tiff mused.

"A little too nice perhaps." Kautounie muttered.

"There's a lot of things that aren't adding up! The Star piece glows brightest when near another Star Piece! There's one somewhere in this town."

Kirby, having dropped his cook ability, nodded in agreement with his big sister.

"Hmmm, a new paved road leading to a town no one hardly visits, rumors of demon beasts when these people insist that there are none, and offering us free run of the town's hotel and tavern, whilst asking for nothing in return." Meta Knight mused quietly.

"There's gotta be more to this place!" Knuckle Joe growled, "These people are hiding something!"

"From what I could see, there wasn't anywhere big enough to hide something like the Halberd, the biggest warehouse I could see was barely big enough to house a small jet or maybe a scouting ship." Kautounie mentioned.

"We will know soon enough. For now, we will accept the hospitality of our generous hosts." Meta Knight said, though there was a hint of distrust in his voice.

Things were just a little too perfect in this small town. Especially considering that there was no law and no order. It was almost anarchistic. Demon beasts or no, there were mysteries to this town that needed solving. Perhaps all that they were looking for was right under their very noses.

 **IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~**

Meanwhile, Daisy moved through the town streets quickly, making her way to the town's small, seemingly unused airfield. The dusty tarmac was illuminated by the flickering streetlights dotting the edge of the airstrip and the only sounds that could be heard was the 'clomping' of Daisy's cowboy boots on a solid surface. She could see her mother and father, along with three underlings from before, waiting outside the single hanger their little airfield had to offer. Giggling to herself, Daisy opened the decrepit gate using a single flick of her hand, "Tehe! Still got it!"

"Well? What of it?" Marshal asked, nervously glancing back in the direction of the inn.

"Daddy, ma, it's them alright!" Daisy whispered, "Though to be honest, how many puffballs out there go by the names Kirby and Meta Knight... really?"

"Do they suspect anything?" Mildred questioned, nervously.

"Nope, not a thing! Right now I've got them stayin' in the old hotel. What should we do?"

"Until they start to cause a ruckus, let em' be. For now, we let the boss know what's been goin' on!" Marshal growled, opening one of the doors and letting everyone inside.

"Daddy, ma, before I forget!" Daisy mentioned, "Meta Knight was askin' about his big ol' battleship, the Halberd!"

Marshal tensed up a little, "What did you say, girl?"

"I just let the poor darlin' know that no one round' these parts had seen such a thing! Tehe."

The family that was way to good to be true snickered inwardly amongst themselves before going into the hanger. In was an open room, occupied by a single, small airship, barely even big enough to be considered a scouting vessel. This hanger didn't seem to get much care, as the floors were left dirty and no one had even bothered to straiten up. They traveled further in, locating the well concealed trap door hidden under where the small scout ship was parked.

"You three, keep watch out front!" Marshal ordered to the three lackeys, before descending down the staircase and into the concealed basement below.

There was the strangest feeling. In reality, the stairs didn't go down that far, though the room they led into was far bigger then anyone would think. It was an enormous hanger, possibly larger then the town of Harmony itself. Now this place was kept in spotless condition, as opposed to the little wreck upstairs. Against the left hand wall were several computers, consoles, and monitors, all manned at the moment. Taking up the bulk of the hanger was nothing other then the Battleship Halberd, with many other lackeys slaving away on repairs.

"Well, looks like the boss actually put that Extension Charm I gave him to some good use!" Daisy sighed, feeling quite proud of herself.

"More like he demanded you give him!" Mildred corrected, "I don't know why Riley picked him over you. That boy is nothin' but trouble!"

"What can I say? I like a guy who knows what he wants!"

Marshal, Mildred, and Daisy strode around the crews working on the massive warship, though taking a bit of time to admire the work. Waiting patiently a little further down was a gargantuan beast. The visor that served for it's eyes shone bright red, and the flail in the beast's hands swayed dangerously.

"Why hi there, Masher, darlin'!" Daisy greeted, in her usual perky voice.

The beast didn't respond, though that didn't break Daisy's good mood any.

"Master... master!" Marshal hesitatingly called out.

For a moment, there was no response, then, peaking out from behind the gigantic demon beast was none other than the foul tempered, foul mouthed halfling, Ronic, accompanied by his lumbering bodyguard, Bruno. Following behind the two of them were Sword Knight, Blade Knight, and Tuff. They hadn't changed much, nor had any of them been hurt, but all three were oddly very compliant with their captors and made no attempt to escape.

"Ah! They have arrived I take it?" Ronic asked, tapping his fingers together, grinning, "Excellent!"

"You bet, sugar! I've pegged the two batamons, Kirby, sweet thing, Sir Meta Knight, the young girl, Tiff, and the little elfy boy with the big attitude to be Star warriors." Daisy started, "There's two female zwetoocks, but they don't look near as savage as them pesky Stargazers we drove out a few weeks back. Still, female zwetoocks means sorceresses, and that means trouble. And last there's Geoffrey, a human like myself, ma, and pa. Couldn't get much on him, other then that he has some nice big guns and is very polite!"

While Daisy had a dreamy look in her eye, Marshal narrowed his eyes and his hands gripped his rifle harder.

"Sounds like an intriguing group, though Riley failed to mention the little elfy twit when she gave me the heads up!" Ronic mused, "Oh well, no matter. More the merrier, I say! I say it, damn it!"

"And they've all been inquirin' about monsters and a missin' warship!" Mildred snorted.

"Well, we just might have to give them one!" Ronic cackled,evilly as he rubbed his hands together.

"What, after all we went through to get this thing?" Bruno asked, stupidly, giving a longing look to the Halberd.

"The monsters, you idiot, not the warship! You bowl-headed, tin-plated twat!" Ronic grumbled, making a move to kick the oversized knight in the shin, only to hurt his foot rather then Bruno, resulting in more cussing.

"Milord Ronic," Marshal began, calmly and trying to ignore the scene before him, "Kirby and his adventuring party are currently residing in the old abandoned inn. Right now they're well in the dark, but they'll start to get real suspicious real soon, I reckon!"

Ronic quit cursing just long enough to listen. Then he stroked his chin in thought. Right now they were at their mercy, with no clue as to what activities were going on, (at least, so he thought), "You mean the one that was going to be the brothel?" Ronic asked.

"That's the only hotel in the town, Milord."

"A pity that place never did get off the ground." Ronic muttered quietly to himself, "Oh what I wouldn't give to get some tail!"

"Ronic hon, are you okay?" Daisy asked, growing concerned.

"Hmhmhm! Good luck finding this place! Little do they know this whole town is made up of Nightmare worshiping occultists!" Ronic grinned with evil glee, "Now then, onwards to monsters! Though first, we'll need to have a little fun with our guests. Test the water if you will."

"But there's no water here to test." Bruno pointed out, "Why do we need to test water, anyway?"

Before Ronic could launch himself into another tirade, Daisy quickly explained to Bruno that it was just an expression and that he shouldn't think to hard on it or he could get hurt. A few more calming words quelled Ronic as well, though he couldn't help but give her a hard slap on the rump as soon as she turned around.

"Oh yeah... you wild bitch!" Ronic muttered, resulting in some giggling from the strategically clad woman.

The halfling steadied himself. Daisy was hot, but she was no Riley. He had to focus! Ronic coughed a few times, then turned his attention to Sword, Blade, and Tuff, all of whom had been standing in silence and at perfect attention.

"Now then, there's something I'll need you all to do... but first, gotta give her ladyship a call! Things in Harmony are about to be thrown into disarray!"

Ronic pressed a few buttons and threw a few switches, then waited. Time to give Nightmare Enterprises an update on the situation in Harmony. Ronic smirked evilly to himself. If he could get Meta Knight's two most loyal followers to obey his every order without question, he was thinking about the fun he could have with Kirby and his crew.

 **Author's Notes::** Well, as the warnings under the title says, we indeed do have one of the most sickeningly cute moments in fanfic history and a town that is waaaaaay to good to be true. Just what is really up with these people? Things just seem to get weirder and weirder. Don't know what I'm blathering on about? Well then read the story and don't just skip to the description here!

Anyway, I found an opportunity to use one of my favorite lines said by Meta Knight from the Anime. Can you find it? Point it out to me and get... a cookie.

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	24. Dangerous Games

In You're Nightmares, Dangerous Games

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Real Strange Happenings.

'Harmony, you know, it's not like how Garna described it. It's worse. This dust bunny of a settlement may as well just be abandoned! Population 24.5 my foot! So far I've only seen six people... okay, maybe seven or eight. There's no monsters, and certainly no Halberd. Still, Geoffrey and the Redsuns think we should do some snooping around while we're out here. I don't like it, but I think he's got the right idea. After all, I said so myself that the next piece of Kirby's Star Rod is here... somewhere.'

The Thoughts of Tiff Ebrum

'Things in this town are just a little bit too perfect for my liking, and that's what throws me off. I mean, the hotel and tavern we're staying in is hardly ever used by the people of Harmony, plus they're not even charging us for it, we were practically being expected, and on top of everything else, there's a brand new road being built in the desert going straight through the town. Now why would anyone take the time, energy, and resources to build something like this in a place that's not in high demand? If you ask me, there's something funny going on. That aside, I find myself rather attracted to our new friend here, Daisy. But as Kautounie keeps reminding me, in every case of a rancher's daughter, there's always someone with a shotgun nearby. We'll have to tread carefully through this one. On a side note, witnessing Meta Knight play with Kirby was beyond adorable. Naturally, Sir Meta Knight denies any involvement whatsoever.'

The Thoughts of Geoffrey 'Redsun' Collins

'How can a place like this be run so perfectly in an anarchistic manner? Everyone just tends to take what they want when they want, and are surprisingly polite about it. There's no sign of any garrison, no lawmen, in fact there's hardly anyone here at all. It doesn't add up. But they have quite a few resources from what I can make out, almost like we were being expected. But why? There's no sign of any monsters in the area and we haven't really done anything here. I don't mind being treated with kindness, but I will say that this has been bugging me. I could understand why the people of Portside showered us with thanks, but that's because we rescued them. All we did here was just ride on into town and we were given free room and boarding for ourselves and our horses. Something's going on around here, something strange.'

The Thoughts of Neo Redsun

'Let me start by saying I'm not one to turn down hospitality, far from it. But damn, this is suspicious! For the time being, Kirby and the rest of us are just playing along. Daisy insists that no one around here has seen the Halberd or any monsters, but there's something Meta Knight and my sweet little sis brought to our attention that's a mite troubling. When bringing up the Halberd in passing, Daisy mentioned that no one had seen any warships in the area. Sir Meta Knight never brought up anything about the Halberd being a warship. Makes me wonder. There must be something they're withholding from us!'

The Thoughts of Kautounie Redsun

'There's gotta be somethin' around here somewhere! I didn't come all the way out to this pile of dust for nothin'! These people claim there's no monsters, but I call a lie! Just what are they not tellin' us?"

The Thoughts of Knuckle Joe

'Poyo! We made it to Harmony! But there's nothing here, poyo. Kirby hope that the Halberd and crew are okay. Medi Kni's been real upset, but he doesn't like to show it. After training yesterday, he played with me! Poyo! Poy! I think it made him feel lots better. Made me feel better too!'

The Thoughts of Kirby

'It is times like these when I admire Kirby. So innocent, despite the cruelty that has been plaguing his young life. I have no idea what came over me, but even with everything going on, I found myself breaking down and playing with my little apprentice... I-I mean teaching him a lesson, of course. Hmmm, I sure hope I didn't blurt that out loud. I would hate for my companions, especially Geoffrey to hear that! But... urgggg, this town! Call it the hunch of an old Star Warrior, but I can sense something, particularly around our hosts. Daisy especially reminds me of someone, but for some reason I cannot place it. Perhaps the heat of the desert has gotten to me. I just cannot let the others know, I have an image to keep up.'

The Thoughts of Sir Meta Knight

*Castle Prescott, TV Studio/Communications Room*

Riley stumbled through the doors into the studio without any of her usual elegance and grace. Her long blonde hair was loose and messy while her body was covered by a red silken bathrobe. Evidently, her hell hounds had woken their mistress from her sleep due to an urgent transmission being picked up by the communications room. Although she didn't say so right away, the look in Riley's eyes was telling everyone that this had better be worth her time.

"I only have to sleep once every half moon!" Riley snarled, silently cursing her human half, "And this couldn't wait?!"

The demon beast at the console nodded quietly, though he paused when Nightmare sifted into the room, taking on his human guise.

"Your Grace!" Riley stated, slightly startled.

She wasn't expecting him, nor had he ever seen her in this condition. Riley felt a little embarrassed to be before her lord ungroomed like this and dressed the way she was. Though she found herself thinking that had they been alone, she could have easily taken care of the way she was dressed. She smirked to herself, wiping the sleep from her eyes while strategically slipping off her robe a little, just to reveal a tantalizing tidbit of her full course body in the hopes that Nightmare might have been watching.

"What the hell happened to you?" Nightmare growled, "You look terrible!"

"I've gone without sleep for two weeks, that's what happened, Your Grace," Riley responded, "Thanks for noticing, by the way." she added with a hint of sarcasm.

The shivering demon manning the console wasn't sure what to do, but a sharp glare from Riley told him to step on it or else.

"This better be worth my time!" Riley grumbled, brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear.

The screen flickered from static, to the image of the hanger bay Ronic had sent out his last contact. There was Ronic, Bruno, Marshal, Mildred, and Daisy at the front, though the Halberd and a few ensnared members of her crew could be seen in the background. Riley balked for a moment, then quickly covered up. No, not just because Ronic was about to start drooling all over the screen on his end, but it had something to do with Marshal and Mildred.

"Hail, Milady Prescott! And may I say you are looking mighty fine... if a little... little... legs, oh my gosh... " Ronic began, slowly trailing off.

"Shut up, you fool!" Nightmare snapped, shifting into his normal form of a monstrous wraith and instantly drawing Ronic back to attention.

Bruno remained clueless as ever, though the other three gasped, taking a step back.

"Holy Nightmare! Your Grace." Marshal and Mildred said in unison, bowing politely.

"My, my, Riley. You didn't tell me he was so sinister!" Daisy praised, dipping into a curtsy, "Holy Nightmare, your Grace, pleased to meet you, honey! Even down here in our little dust pile, we got your message loud and clear! Been takin' good care of him now, sister?"

"Sister?" Nightmare questioned, glancing to the witch, "I thought Fey was your sister."

"She is," Riley sighed, "But Daisy is my half sister and Marshal over there is my father, Your Grace. I'd like to introduce to you the human half of my family, Marshal, Mildred, and Daisy Prescott!"

Nightmare had a look of genuine surprise on his face. He knew Riley was half human, but he never expected to meet the human half of her family, let alone that they would be loyal followers of his cause.

"I chose Harmony as a seed of operation because I had family there. Plus it's out in the middle of no where." Riley explained. "You can say that sorcery and demonology runs very strongly in my family."

"That's not all." Nightmare muttered, as Daisy silently flirted with the wraith lord.

Yes, yes, a quick glimpse into Riley's human side of the family was fascinating, but work must intervene.

"Kirby and his team have arrived in town!" Ronic announced, "Everything is set to go!"

"Then don't waste time chatting with us!" Nightmare snapped, growing impatient, "When the moment is right, you know what to do! Get on with it, then!"

"Oh yeah, when the moment is right I'll know what to do! I'll take Riley and her gorgeous body all the way too... oh, you meant the killing and capturing of Kirby's team. That's always fun to, I suppose!" Ronic rambled, "Heheheheh... they've walked right into a nest of demon beasts and don't even know it yet!" he snickered.

"Those monster transporter units have been workin' like a charm, I'll say, Miss Riley, Your Grace." Mildred said, nodding her head, "Made life in our little town so much easier!"

"And we've been workin' with those monster summonin' spells too!" Marshal growled.

"This little no where town will become the main base of operations for your troops here on Horva, Your Grace!" Daisy added, "Who would think to come out to our little sand trap out here, sugar?"

"And with the Masher 2.0 and the Halberd and her crew under my control, there will be nothing that can stop us!" Ronic cackled, practically orgasming on his words.

Nightmare's grin spread quite wide when he got a much clearer view of Tuff, Sword Knight, and Blade Knight.

"Told you so, Your Grace." Riley muttered.

Indeed, Ronic may have been an irritating pain in the backside, but he did have a powerful gift with spells of the mind, mind control to be more precise. At their new master's command, all three took a knee to Nightmare.

"Now that's more like it." Nightmare hissed with glee.

"We'll contact you once the threats have been neutralized!" Ronic stated. "They will be killed, captured, tortured, humiliated, tried, and executed, maybe even killed... not necessarily in that order, mind you!"

Nightmare and Riley glanced to each other, unsure if they should try and follow Ronic's bizarre sense of logic. Ultimately, the two of them decided it was better not to.

"Your Grace, Miss Riley." Marshal said, tipping his hat to the demon load and witch.

"See you soon, sugar, Your Grace!" Daisy giggled, "Bye-bye, sis!"

"Before I forget!" Ronic shouted abruptly, "Riley, I really, really want to-!"

He was cut off before he could finish and the screen went dark as Nightmare himself canceled communications, groaning loudly.

"Perhaps they will kill him." Riley sighed, before leaving the communications room, leaving the lone night demon beast with Nightmare.

He cowered in fear as the demon lord loomed over him. Lucifer and Spitfire grinned evilly from the shadows, awaiting Nightmare's next move. But Nightmare just gave an indifferent shrug and left, presumably because he had better things to do at the time.

"He's gone. Let's eat this little piggy!" Lucifer suggested to Spitfire, their sights fixed on the poor demon beast now that he was alone.

*Hidden Hanger Bay, Harmony*

Once communications were cut, Marshal shot Ronic a dirty look, but left it at that. The old man wasn't happy about Ronic flirting with his daughters, but he didn't dare say it to his master's face. He knew just what that little shorty was capable of. Ronic was like a lion trapped inside a Yorkshire Terrier's body.

"I saw that!" Ronic snipped, pointing his finger in accusation.

He gazed back at the monitor, sighing longingly, "One day, milady, you will be mine!"

Then Ronic realized that all eyes were on him, and his dreamy expression turned hard in the matter of half a second or so.

"WHAT ARE ALL YOU LOOKING AT?! GET BACK TO WORK!" Ronic shouted, flailing his arms around wildly.

"What were we doing again?" Bruno asked.

"Assitin' our lord and master Holy Nightmare in takin' over the universe, darlin'!" Daisy sighed.

"Oh yeah, now I remember."

"GAHHHHHHHH! I'll need to find myself a new hulking knight!" Ronic grumbled, before throwing a glance to the Masher, who gazed back with indifference, "Nah... I'll stick with the lout for now!"

*Abandoned Inn, Harmony, Mid-Afternoon*

Since Kirby and the team had stayed up traversing the desert for half the night, it was only natural that they would indulge in sleeping in through a bit of the afternoon. Although the heat of the desert sun forced some out of bed early, Tiff was still trapped in an uneasy sleep.

She found herself staring out into a vast, empty space. The ground beneath her feet was nothing other then Holy Nightmare's gigantic chessboard, to which she was but a mere piece of the game. Tiff gazed around fearfully at the other broken game tokens that littered the board like the aftermath of a massive battle. Many of them appeared to represent Star Warriors.

"Kirby? Meta Knight?" Tiff cried out, taking her wand off her belt.

For a moment, there was no answer, then a pained and labored yell grabbed her attention. Ignoring her earlier fear, Tiff sprinted across the chessboard, leaping over broken figurines with impressive grace. She skidded to a halt, nearly choking on her own breaths. Standing before her was an old man, the one Nightmare liked to take as his human form. Geoffrey's father, Gerard Collins! He was covered in blood and in his hands he held a knife with a wavy black blade, one Tiff could have sworn she had seen before.

"You're to late, girl!" Gerard snarled, kicking two small bodies into Tiff's view.

Tiff gasped in horror when she saw it was Kirby and Meta Knight, bleeding profusely from nasty stab wounds that were quickly discoloring and spreading throughout their bodies.

"Poyo..." Kirby shuddered weakly, his liquid blue eyes closing.

"Forgive me... Tiff." Meta Knight gasped, right before his golden eyes dulled.

"No! How could you?!" Tiff screamed.

She attempted to use her healing spells on the two star warriors, but nothing was working. All the while, Gerard took a step closer, revealing the murdered bodies of Kautounie, Neo, and Knuckle Joe. Levitating behind the horrific scene was none other then Holy Nightmare himself, looking quite pleased as he gazed at the dead bodies littering his chessboard.

"What's happening?!" Tiff screamed.

"I told you, dear child, that in the end, I shall win!" Nightmare hissed, "It's checkmate for Kirby and Meta Knight, and it's checkmate for you as well!"

Gerard only smiled, waiting for his master to finish.

"You know something, Tiff," Gerard began, his form shifting into that of Geoffrey.

Tiff felt her heart pound as the human rogue stooped over her, a look of pure malice on his face. He idly toyed with the deadly knife he held in his hands, grinning, "My daddy was right. Killing Star Warriors is fun!" he growled.

Tiff screamed and flung her arms up to defend herself. Just as the blade should have struck, Tiff awoke with a start, nearly falling out of her bed. She was breathing heavily and her throat felt very dry. The girl slowly calmed herself down before attempting to get up.

"Poyo, Tiff?" asked a small, concerned voice.

Kirby was sitting on the foot of Tiff's bed, his eyes heavy with concern. He tilted his head like a curious puppy, but any questions he had were soon answered when Tiff scooped him up in her arms.

"Kirby!" Tiff cried out, "You're okay!"

At first Kirby was puzzled, though he settled back in Tiff's loving arms with a contented purr.

"Tiff... you... you have nightmare? Kirby can tell. Sometime have bad dream too."

"Yes Kirby, I did. It was a bad one too and-" Tiff paused when she heard footsteps coming down the hallway and towards her room.

She nearly felt her heart fly straight out of her chest as the door flung open and there was Geoffrey, not six feet away, looking right at her. Considering the nature of her grizzly nightmare, it was understandable that she would be frightened.

"We heard screaming downstairs, is everything alright?" Geoffrey asked, genuine concern in his voice, "Tiff, you look a little pale."

Tiff gulped audibly, "I-I just had a bad dream," she said, "It-it was about Nightmare, you and your father, murdering Star Warriors. In particular, Kirby and Meta Knight."

Geoffrey's eyes darted away from Tiff for a moment. Well, wasn't this awkward?

"Well Tiff, I can assure you that Meta Knight is alive and well downstairs waiting for you and Kirby, who also looks to be in good heath, I might add." Geoffrey explained. "Besides, you've seen the boss lady's shrine to Star Warriors! She'd have my head if I tried anything like that."

"What about that stunt you pulled with Kirby in King Dedede's throne room?"

"That was a bluff, it doesn't count." Geoffrey stated. "And if you'll recall, that actually spared him... for a time, anyway." he added, weakly.

The rogue and Tiff both dropped it there, preferring not to dredge up old, uncomfortable memories. Though when Geoffrey had mentioned Garna, A.K.A., the "boss lady", that stirred up something in her mind. Before they left Portside, when Garna showed them the footage she had pirated from Riley's and Nightmare's transmission, she remembered that Garna had flashed a certain, custom made dagger that Geoffrey and even Meta Knight looked uncomfortable at the sight of.

"That's where I saw it! Garna had it!" Tiff blurted suddenly, completely throwing Geoffrey off.

"Had what? What are we talking about again?" Geoffrey asked, genuinely confused.

"The knife you and Gerard used to kill Kirby and Meta Knight! Then... tried to use to kill me." Tiff explained, "In-in the dream I had, anyway. Garna had it. I saw it when she spoke to us back in Portside, when Dusk was mentioned."

Now Geoffrey looked very uncomfortable, "It was a knife with a wavy black blade, and two rattlesnakes forming the hilt, wasn't it?"

Tiff nodded nervously.

"Yup. That's Venomancer. Garna took it after... that man..." Geoffrey growled with distaste, "kicked the bucket. I honestly have no idea how she acquired it, only that somehow, she got her mitts on it. When I joined with the Wolf Pack, she offered to give Venomancer back to me, but I didn't feel comfortable around it, so I let her keep it." he explained, "Venomancer's blade is enchanted with never ending poison, same venom that you'll find in the fangs of an Alpha Hell Hound. Gerard Collins murdered many Star Warriors with that accursed thing. However, Garna assured me that she would only use Venomancer on direct enemies of the Galaxy Soldier Army from now on. But every time I see that blade, I feel... his... eyes on me."

Tiff and Kirby only looked more uneasy. But even still, it must have been difficult for Geoffrey to have to live his life knowing what a monster his father was. Maybe it would have been better if she did keep this nightmare to herself. After all, it was just a dream, nothing more.

"I'm... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to open any old wounds. I was just..." Tiff sighed, trying to think of a decent answer.

"Hey, shit happens. We learn to live with it." Geoffrey shrugged, "Come on, everyone else is waiting for us downstairs."

Once the human left, Tiff breathed a sigh of relief. She giggled softly when she felt Kirby wriggling in her arms, chiding away happily. The young warrior blinked up to her in his usual cute way.

"May as well see what the rest of them are up to, huh Kirby?" Tiff sighed.

"Poyo!" Kirby agreed.

*Downstairs*

Already it was quite warm inside, though it was much hotter outside in the light of the desert sun. Just as Geoffrey said, the rest of the team was waiting downstairs. Kautounie, Neo, Meta Knight, Knuckle Joe, and Geoffrey were sitting at one of the tables, discussing something.

"Ah, it's alive!" Kautounie announced, playfully upon Tiff's arrival.

Geoffrey leaned in further to the elder zwetoock, whispering something, presumably about how her word choices 'it's' and 'alive', might not have been the best given the nature of the grizzly nightmare Tiff had woken up from. In light of this new information, Kautounie smiled back sheepishly.

Meanwhile, Kirby cheerfully greeted all his companions, finally settling down in between Knuckle Joe and Meta Knight.

"How ya doin', Kirby? Ready to dig up some dirty truth around here?" Knuckle Joe asked.

He smirked when Kirby gave him an eager nod.

"Perhaps we should split up to cover more ground." Meta Knight suggested.

"Hmmm, I've never liked splitting up, but since we're short on time and in need of answers, I'd say at this time we don't have much choice." Kautounie said, thoughtfully, "I suppose I could take Knuckle Joe with me to search the outside of town for any tracks or signs of demon beasts."

Knuckle Joe nodded in agreement, "Very well, I'll go with the overgrown furball!"

"Poyo! Take Tiff and... and explore the town!" Kirby chided.

Tiff giggled softly. It was quite cute to see Kirby trying to take charge, just as Meta Knight had instructed him too.

"If Meta Knight so permits, I'll take him and Neo to go poke around the airfield and warehouses." Geoffrey suggested.

So it was agreed. For the afternoon, they would gather as much information as they could and meet up at the tavern come nightfall.

When they left the hotel and stepped outside, they couldn't help but feel as though they were being watched. There weren't any security cameras, (at least none that were visible), though there was often movement in the windows of the other buildings. A shutter closing, a curtain moving, or a door being cracked open. There were a few people outside, but not much activity aside from that. Kirby split off from the team with Tiff, while Knuckle Joe and Kautounie headed towards Harmony's only boarding stable to get Diesel before going out into the desert. Geoffrey, Meta Knight, and Neo headed out towards the airfield.

*Knuckle Joe and Kautounie*

Once Kautounie had Diesel saddled and ready to go, she led the horse out of the stable, Knuckle Joe already seated on his back. Kautounie was about ready to mount up when she noticed Mildred, the 'grizzly' woman, leaving the building across the street and lock the door.

"Why hi there!" Mildred called out, sounding quite sweet despite her appearance and the rifle hefted over her shoulder. "Don't you two darlins' go around causin' a ruckus now."

"Wasn't planning on it." Kautounie answered.

"Where all are you two headed?" Mildred asked.

Knuckle Joe and Kautounie were a little hesitant to answer at first. But perhaps if they were honest, they would get more of what they were searching for.

"We're just gonna do a quick look around the area. You may not have seen any demon beasts, but that doesn't mean there aren't any out there just waitin' to strike!" Knuckle Joe said.

Mildred scoffed, but made no attempt to stop them, "I'll tell you what, there ain't no demon beasts or lost airships around here. But you two kids have fun out there. Mind any buzzards and snakes."

Kautounie did her usual polite Zwetoock greeting before mounting up on her horse behind Joe and galloped down the street. Mildred smirked, then shambled off elsewhere.

"Kautounie, what's up with that head bob and hand thing you furballs do?" Knuckle Joe asked.

"It's like a zwetoock handshake. By my kind's perspective, putting your hand out in front of you is perceived as a threat. Offer a zwetoock a handshake and it will most likely get torn off!" Kautounie answered.

Now Knuckle Joe's eyes became very round.

The two of them searched outside of town for a while but found nothing of interest there. But, about a mile or so to the north of Harmony, amongst a pile of rocks were some small piles of garbage that looked as though someone had dumped them there recently. Curious, Knuckle Joe and Kautounie dismounted to get a closer look.

"Be careful of snakes and scorpions, but if you find any, let me know." Kautounie snickered.

Knuckle Joe didn't need to ask why. Zwetoocks ate goblins and scorpions, why should he be surprised that they like snakes too? All that aside, Knuckle Joe stumbled upon something pretty interesting shortly into their rummaging.

"I think the people of Harmony might be guilty of more then just illegal dumping." Knuckle Joe growled, holding up one broken side of a wooden crate that had the Nightmare Enterprises logo stamped on it.

Kautounie nodded in agreement. There was no sign of what was inside, but some more searching led to more evidence that someone around Harmony was getting supplies from Nightmare's company. Broken crates, defective machine parts, old, worn tools, though what caught Kautounie's eye was a small ring of keys buried under some rusted scrap metal. Curiosity perked, the zwetoock picked up the out of place find, showing it to Knuckle Joe.

"Keys?" the fighter questioned, crossing his arms "Hmph."

It wasn't anything special, just a set of keys with a beat up remote key chain attached. If they were not mistaken, they might have been car keys. But upon a closer look, Kautounie noticed a faded engraving on the largest key. There was the G.S.A.'s symbol on one side, the star, and on the other, a barely visible dragon holding a sun.

"Hey, isn't the dragon and sun the symbol of your pack?" Knuckle Joe inquired.

Kautounie nodded. Then the zwetoock's ears perked up as the winds changed direction. She began sniffing the air vigorously as something caught her attention. Her nose pointed in the direction of the mangled crate side Knuckle Joe had set down.

"You're beginin' to worry me." Knuckle Joe said, taking a step back.

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm a canid. I can catch scents that other people cannot." Kautounie explained, "It's very useful for tracking down prey or even lost pack mates. And if I'm not mistaken... this smells an awful lot... like Blade Knight of all people."

Knuckle Joe and Kautounie glanced to each other. Kautounie for one knew that Blade was last seen on the Halberd. Another question that needed answering. Just what they needed. The two of them loaded up their finds and headed back towards Harmony to wait for the rest of the group to report their findings. Along the way, off in the distance, both riders caught a glimpse of sunlight glinting off metal, sea green metal to be exact. But by the time they could have gotten close enough, it was already gone. However, the footprints left in the sand told a different story.

"Blade Knight... he was here!" Kautounie confirmed, sniffing the air.

"Why didn't he wait for us, then?" Knuckle Joe asked, "Doesn't he know you?"

"That's a good question."

So, crates and supplies from Nightmare Enterprises, sightings of the Halberd's crew members? Yup, there was something more then just a little fishy going on here!

*Tiff and Kirby*

So far, Tiff and Kirby were not having much luck. Every place she and Kirby checked was either abandoned, locked and boarded shut, or had someone hovering around. Don't get the wrong idea, the people were quite nice and treated both star warriors with great hospitality, though when Tiff would inquire about the demon beast rumors, the townspeople were quick to change the subject.

"Urg! We can't come back empty handed, Kirby. There's got to be something here." Tiff sighed.

She had no idea how long they had been at it, only that it was beginning to cool off outside as the sunlight began to fade. Evening already? Tiff sighed heavily, feeling like a failure.

"Poyo, Tiff. Kauto and Joe will be back." Kirby said, reassuringly, nuzzling against her side.

Tiff smiled tenderly down at the child star warrior. The two of them were now completely alone on their way back to the inn. It sort of reminded Tiff of that time back in Cappy Town, when King Dedede handed out free TVs to everyone and the streets became deserted.

The young girl glanced off, looking towards the sky and the stars that were just starting to come into view.

"Well Kirby, maybe-" Tiff began, stopping abruptly when she felt something bump into her, "Hey! Watch where-Tuff?!"

She let out a gasp of surprise and Kirby began chiding frantically. Tiff didn't get a very long look, but there was no mistaking her brother, even from behind. The boy chanced a glance over his shoulder, then fled as fast as he could, Tiff in pursuit.

"Wait, Tuff!" she cried out.

The chase didn't last long. Tuff turned into an alleyway and then he was gone. Kirby and Tiff both searched for the boy, but there was no sign of him. It was as if he simply vanished! Tiff checked the doors of the nearby buildings, only to find that they were locked.

"Urg! I know it was him!" Tiff growled. "That was Tuff. You saw him too, didn't you Kirby?"

"Poyo, Tuff, Tuff!" Kirby agreed, his eyes darting in every which direction.

Well, if they didn't have anything to tell the others before, they certainly had something now! With a long sigh of defeat, Kirby and Tiff turned around to head back to the old hotel. Both stopped with a start when something much bigger then the two of them put together stood in their way. Tiff let out a frightened gasp, but then realized that it was just Marshal. Kirby was already chiding away in friendly greeting.

"Oh Marshal, it's just you." Tiff breathed in relief.

"My, my, you get lost in this here tiny town, sweetie?" Marshal asked.

"Poyo, poyo, see Tuff?" Kirby chided.

This resulted in a confused look from Marshal. Kirby was learning how to speak more clearly, but the kid still needed more time, or a good translator.

"What's small stuff here goin' on about?" Marshal questioned.

"Mr. Marshal, Kirby and I just saw my brother Tuff, about five minutes ago!" Tiff explained, "He was one of the passengers aboard the Hal-" she suddenly cut herself off.

Marshal had no idea what the Halberd was, at least, so she thought. Then he surprised her, "Your Sir Meta Knight's missin' airship? Miss Daisy was tellin' me about it last night after ya'll got settled in. I keep tellin' ya, there's nothin' like that round' here."

"I know what I saw! Tuff came back here, then Kirby and I lost the trail. You didn't by any chance see him? He's small, at least he's considered small on Horva, like myself, with shaggy yellow and green hair." Tiff explained.

Marshal shook his head with an apologetic look on his face once Tiff finished telling him the description, "Can't say that I have seen a youngin' like that round' here, but I'll let you know if I do. Though you might want to get yourself checked out, may be a little delirium from the heat. Now then, it'll be dark soon, you two better get goin'!"

Tiff politely though hurriedly thanked Marshal, then plucked Kirby up and headed back towards the inn. Marshal smirked inwardly to himself, watching the two young warriors disappear behind the corner.

"You done good, boy! The boss knew what he was doin' after all." he muttered to himself.

On the way back, Tiff couldn't help but feel that something wasn't quite right. Yeah sure, Marshal knew about the Halberd, only because Daisy had opened her mouth. But again, he was pretty quick to change the subject to something other then Tuff. Tiff did remember that Nightmare had clever ways of working through other people. Maybe there was some other sort of manipulation going on. As she puzzled out possible explanations for this weird turn of events, Kirby gave the girl a questioning and uncertain look. Nervously, Tiff reached inside her pocket where she kept the piece of the broken Star Rod, only to realize that it wasn't there!

"Poyo-poy, Tiff?!" Kirby questioned.

"Oh no! Kirby, it-it's gone!" Tiff stammered.

Tuff! He must have taken it! He was the only one with the opportunity. But why? He had no reason, at least none that she knew of. Frightened and filled with worry, Tiff and Kirby made a mad dash for the inn.

*Meta Knight, Geoffrey, and Neo*

Meanwhile, while Kautounie and Joe searched the desert and Tiff and Kirby did some snooping around the town, Meta Knight, Geoffrey, and Neo had gone down to the small airfield and the surrounding warehouses. They had been stopped a few times along their little mission, by the townspeople, including one of the burly men they had seen with Marshal and his family, innocently enough just wanting to know what they were up too. However, when any of them would ask questions about the place, the people would just change the subject.

"Hmm, for simple, mild mannered desert dwellers, these people are awfully good at getting us to answer their questions while answering none of ours." Neo pointed out.

"Indeed, Neo." Meta Knight agreed.

"Some people have a gift, others have been trained." Geoffrey mentioned, "And I for one have been having a funny feeling. Things just seem a little to right here."

Their first search turned up nothing. The warehouse in question was filled with supplies and non-perishable foods.

"Wow, exciting!" Geoffrey said, with a lot of sarcasm thrown in for good measure.

The small group left, careful about leaving no trace that they were ever there. Though Geoffrey couldn't help but wonder if Meta Knight was used to doing this sort of thing. The elder warrior was already sneaky despite his honor, and he knew how to eliminate his trail. And perhaps with all those years serving under King Dedede, Meta Knight was probably real good at making up reasons for being where he was on the fly.

"Sir Meta Knight, you're very good at this. Perhaps I can make a rogue of you yet." Geoffrey commented.

"I hope not!" the elder warrior growled, earning some snickering from Geoffrey and Neo.

The second warehouse, the one close to the airfield, was locked... but not for long. Giddy with joy, Geoffrey whipped out his picks and got to work. They were inside in less than a minute.

"You do know I could have opened that, right?" Neo asked, with a sigh as she lowered her hand, dismissing the arcane glow that surrounded it.

"My way is more fun." Geoffrey stated.

All three stepped inside. This warehouse was different from the other one. Sure, there were crates and supplies stacked against the walls, but the center of the room was completely bare, and there were a few leftover crates and boxes that were recently opened, along with crowbars and other building tools.

While exploring, Meta Knight started to turn one of the crates around, then stopped. He knew the Nightmare Enterprises logo when he saw it. Before he could alert Geoffrey and Neo, the star warrior quickly noticed that they were not alone. Apparently, the rogue and zwetoock already knew.

"What are ya'll doin' in here, darlin's?" Daisy asked, leaning against the door hinge, "Playin' spy games, are we? Tehehe!"

"No, we're not playing anything. Like we told you, we've heard rumors of monsters in the area and were just... checking up on a few leads." Geoffrey explained.

"I keep on tellin' ya, no monsters round here, sweetie pie!" Daisy insisted, shaking her head.

"Perhaps none that you know about. Not all demon beasts are large and imposing. Sometimes, it is the smallest ones that can cause the most damage!" Meta Knight explained.

Daisy just sighed, then sauntered further into the room, "Well then, maybe I can help out with your little investigation! What all are ya'll lookin' for?"

"Something like this." Neo answered, showing Daisy one of the small boxes marked with the Nightmare Enterprises logo.

"It would appear as though someone in Harmony is ordering supplies from Nightmare Enterprises!" Meta Knight said.

Daisy gasped, putting up her hands over her mouth, eyes wide in shock.

"Why... I do declare! But I thought mean ol' Nightmare was put out o' business years ago!"

"In case you haven't heard already, he's recently gotten back into the swing of things." Neo sighed, "By the way, does anyone else notice that smell? It smells kinda funny in here."

"My, my, daddy will need to know about this! In the mean time, ya'll better go! What if the culprit comes back and finds ya'll in here?" Daisy said.

"We are quite capable of protecting ourselves, and you if the case may be," Meta Knight explained, "Though it does seem like you're capable of defending yourself." he added, taking notice of the handgun at Daisy's hip.

"Yes, yes, daddy insists that I'm always armed. Not that I'd need to worry with all you sweeties round' me," Daisy sighed, "But-but ya'll better leave! I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you on my account."

The anxious cowgirl ushered everyone out of the warehouse and locked the doors, breathing a sigh of relief. No one had seen them, and there was still one more place left to snoop around. The airfield itself.

"No, no, you can't be goin' in there, honey!" Daisy insisted, giving Meta Knight a light tug on his cape.

Meta Knight let out a slight grunt of annoyance. He really didn't like people messing with his cape. Kirby was really the only one who got a free pass in that regard.

"And why not, may I ask?" he asked.

"Well you just can't! If my daddy or ma caught you, or anyone else for that matter, well, I just couldn't bare it!" Daisy answered, "That old run down place is a death trap, I tell you!"

Even though Meta Knight wanted to insist, self control was getting the better of him. Geoffrey and Neo were on the same page. It was starting to get dark, and the others would be rendezvousing back at the inn. Besides, they had more then enough to go back with.

"Thank you for your assistance." Neo said.

"Ya'll have a good night, you hear?" Daisy giggled, before sauntering off towards town, "Remember, this is only between us, no one else."

Once she was out of earshot, the three conversed.

"She seemed real insistent about not letting us into that airfield." Neo muttered.

"Hmmm, shipping crates from Nightmare Enterprises as well." Meta Knight mused, "We will have to see what Tiff, Kirby, Joe, and Kautounie have discovered, and make plans from there."

"I for one think a little night investigation is in order." Geoffrey mentioned, with that mischievous glint in his eyes.

On their way back, Meta Knight and Neo both paused and turned. Neo took a deep sniff in the air and Meta Knight's golden eyes were locked on a darkening alleyway.

"What is it?" Geoffrey asked.

Then he saw it too. A small figure, dressed in teal armor, retreating into the shadows. For a moment, no one was certain if they really saw it or if their minds were playing a trick on them.

"I could have sworn that I just saw Sword Knight!" Meta Knight answered.

"You're not the only one." Neo muttered, "I saw him too."

"Just what the hell is going on around here?" Geoffrey asked, growing more and more suspicious.

*Back at the Inn*

"Okay Tiff, slow down. I'm not sure if I heard you correctly," Kautounie said, holding out her hands in a calming motion.

"Yeah, you've been protectin' Kirby's Warp Star since I've know ya, I know ya wouldn't let someone take it right out from under your nose!" Knuckle Joe added.

Right about now, Tiff looked as though she might have eaten something that she found on the road and had baked in the sun for a few hours. Kirby shrank back a little in his seat, sensing that one of Tiff's fiery tempered outbursts was close at hand. Low and behold, he was right.

"I'm telling you! Tuff stole it from me! I would never lie about something like this!" Tiff shouted. "I know it was him! I know it was him that I saw." she added, stopping only to hyperventilate and catch her breath.

"We can't rule out anything!" Neo interjected, "Why Tuff, if he's here, would steal the Star Piece, I have no idea. But there's something bigger then that going on."

Knuckle Joe and Kautounie shared their finds. Kautounie didn't know why, but something deep down was telling her to hang onto the set of keys, even though they really didn't seem to go to anything around Harmony. However, mentioning the possible sighting of Blade Knight peaked a much bigger interest. Plus Neo confirmed as Kautounie had, that the wooden crate piece with Nightmare's logo on it did indeed have Blade's scent all over it. Not to mention Neo, Meta Knight, and Geoffrey claimed that they saw Sword Knight wondering about.

"Come to think of it, Daisy sure didn't want us to go anywhere near the airfield." Meta Knight mentioned, "I wonder just what these people are hiding in there."

"Which is why I'm going in there, tonight." Geoffrey said, "Alone."

"Geoffrey-" Tiff started, "You shouldn't-"

"No Tiff, not this time. I'm not even taking my sisters with me."

Although the rest of the group let their protests be known, Geoffrey did mention that one man could infiltrate easier then seven. It was an uneasy decision, and Tiff was heavily against it, but eventually everyone was in agreement. While the others rested and held down the fort, Geoffrey would do a bit of sneaking around. While getting ready, he gave the Xtransiear to his sisters, just in case, "If the worst should happen, Sundar forbid, I want you ladies to have that."

"Here, take this." Kautounie ordered, handing Geoffrey one of the brightly colored feathers from her mane, "Now you owe me. Don't go getting yourself killed, you fool!"

"Be careful, Geoffrey." Meta Knight warned.

"Hey... it's me!" Geoffrey smirked.

It was dark outside by the time they finished discussing their plans, the perfect time to do some sneaking and skulking. The rogue put on his leather duster and stepped outside, vanishing into the shadows like a ghost. Given the high risk circumstances, Kirby and the team agreed to have a nighttime watch on guard to rotate until Geoffrey returned.

*Underground Hanger Bay*

Ronic leaned idly against the Masher's massive foot, playing with his piece of the Star Rod with a smirk, laughing to himself. The beast didn't seem to mind and kept perfectly still, even though one misstep, and his master was roadkill.

"Oh, I'll give em' some monsters, alright!" Ronic snorted.

"Why would you give them away?" Bruno asked.

"GAHHH!"

Just when Ronic was about to give the dim-witted knight a good tongue lashing, he paused when small, armored footsteps echoed through the hanger. Ronic immediately forgot about his annoyance with Bruno, and was quick to greet his 'Special Ops Team'. Blade Knight, Sword Knight, and Tuff stopped before him. Ronic grinned and snapped his fingers. The three of them bowed down.

"Hehehe, I love that!" Ronic snickered, "Alright, you guys have done a good job. Now what did you bring me?"

"As you requested, my lord." Tuff said, flatly, his voice lacking personality.

The boy handed Ronic a shiny, glowing object, causing the halfling to nearly dance with joy. It was the Star Piece.

"Now I have the their Star Rod piece and the Halberd! Hahaha!" Ronic cackled.

"You stole that little girl's star piece?" Bruno questioned, "That wasn't nice."

"Listen you walking land mass, when you're three feet tall and skinny as a rail, you don't get to where I am now by being... nice!" Ronic shouted, "It takes money, cruelty, malice, and a will to dominate! But mostly money, I'll admit."

"But really, what made you get so mean?" Bruno asked.

"It might have something to do back with my childhood when I forgot to wear my pants to school! That's where it all started!" Ronic grumbled, "Oh I'll never forget that day, I was laughed at, tossed out, humiliated, egged, and not in that order, mind you! But now, who's laughing now, huh? WHO'S LAUGHING NOW! I am Supreme Cleric of Holy Nightmare, Master of Sorcery, and-"

"Cuttin' it a little far, ain't ya, sweetie?" Daisy asked as she walked in on the two having their... history lesson.

Bruno looked like he wanted to hear the end of the story, but Ronic quickly forgot all about it and found himself otherwise occupied.

"Our little friends have gone and done a good job, now, have they? Hmhm!" Daisy giggled, kneeling down to Tuff's and the two knights' level, "Dreamlanders sure are cutie pies, I should think. Anyway, I came down to let you know that everything is in order, and them trouble maker monster hunters should be takin' the bait any time now."

"Excellent, excellent! By telling them that they should stay away, it should bring them right to us! And then-" Ronic paused, then punched the air a few times, laughing.

"We box the air?" Bruno asked.

Ronic looked like he was about to burst from pent up anger at the knight's stupidity. However, to avoid any more complications, he simply sighed and said, "Yes!"

Tuff and the two knights were sent back out to keep and eye on things and prepare for any guests that might arrive. Meanwhile, Ronic joined his piece of the Star Rod with the much larger part he had Tuff steal from his sister. The Masher 2.0 continued to show indifference.

"Don't you worry, you're part is coming up, my metal minion!" Ronic purred, gleefully.

 **Author's Notes::** HEY! If you have NOT read the chapter, go on and read it... right now! Have you read it? Good! Please continue.

Here we have Dangerous Games, each side snooping around trying to get answers while giving nothing in return. Sightings of Sword, Blade, and Tuff? Just what the hell are they up to, listening to that madman? Or do they really have no choice? Anyway, we also get a glimpse of Riley, not looking so dignified and regal. Please don't ask for too much details about how Riley came to be, it would go over my bare minimum PG 13 rating I have here. (However, if you want the R-XXX version, check out Dream Weavers!) Just enjoy getting to meet the human half of her family. No epic battles in this chapter, but they're going to be coming up, rest assured. I mean, you can't have star warriors sitting on a den of demon beasts and not have a fight break out eventually, can you?

And, we also learn why Ronic is the way he is. Boy does that guy need some psychological help... and fast...

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	25. Demons in the Night

In You're Nightmares, The Demons in the Night

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Moments of Sheer Stupidity That you Would not Believe.

*Sometime Later in the Night, Tiff's and Kirby's Room*

Tiff couldn't sleep. All she did was toss and turn, thinking of what she could have done. If only she were paying attention! Finally, Tiff couldn't take it anymore. The girl got out of bed, put on her mage robes and snatched up Wicked from the bedside table. She looked down to see Kirby, cuddled up in his blankets, though with an understandably grim look on his face.

"I'm sorry, Kirby." Tiff sighed heavily.

She knew what she had to do. She had to make things right. Geoffrey shouldn't be the one out there risking his neck for her mistake.

"I'm the one who has to do this. The Warp Star is my responsibility!"

Tiff gently tucked the covers more firmly around Kirby before contemplating her next move. Kautounie was on watch downstairs, and even with Unnoticeability, she didn't want to risk being caught sneaking out by the senior mage's keen senses. So, that left one other option. The window. Tiff knew that the seal Neo and Kautounie had placed was to protect from intruders coming in, not going out. She took in a deep breath, knowing she'd deal with any reprimands from her teammates later. The girl slowly opened up the window, praying the loud creaking wouldn't wake up Kirby or alert Kautounie downstairs, then climbed out.

It was a bit of a challenge getting down, but Tiff was always a good problem solver. She found her way down safely, then took off before anyone would realize she was gone. The streets were empty and most of the lights were off. This was a good thing, as it provided more places to hide. Geoffrey had mentioned going to the airfield, and since that was the one place the people of Harmony didn't want any of them to go, that's where Tiff figured she'd start looking for Kirby's Star Piece. While she moved, the girl quietly cast Unnoticeability on herself to lessen the chances of being spotted, by friend or foe.

Tiff paused, then ducked into the shadows of a nearby building when she heard someone coming down the street behind her. She looked a bit confused. What were Mildred, Marshal, and Daisy doing up at this hour? Curious, Tiff decided to follow them, from a safe distance of course.

With her spell's effects, the three of them didn't know that they were being followed. Oddly enough, the trio was headed straight for the airfield. Well, that's where Tiff was going anyway!

Large flood lights illuminated the dusty tarmac, making hiding in the cover of darkness difficult, if not near impossible. Thankfully, with her spell protecting her, Tiff wouldn't need to worry to much. Then, much to her surprise, the gates opened in response to a flick of Marshal's hand. Strange; he never let on to being a sorcerer, and he certainly did not look the type.

Tiff had to break into a run to make it inside before the gates closed and locked themselves. Mildred looked over her shoulder, having thought she heard some footsteps. Her piercing eyes landed right on Tiff for a split second. But, having not noticed the girl, Mildred followed after her daughter and husband. Already Tiff's heart was pounding. Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea.

"What's wrong, hon?" Marshal whispered.

"I can't help but feel like someone is followin' us." Mildred whispered back.

"Don't worry bout' it, ma, Ronic's two sweetie pies will take care of everything." Daisy said, quietly.

Unfortunately for Tiff, she was to far away to hear what they were saying. She followed them as they went into the hanger bay and closed the door behind them. Much to Tiff's dismay, the door had been locked as well.

"Urg!" Tiff grumbled in annoyance.

She took out Wicked, the proceeded to do some more looking around. There were no windows, and only the one doorway in. She could make out a few parked vehicles in the back, but nothing of interest to her. But, on her way back, Tiff had quite a shock. There, in front of the hanger doors, were none other then Sword Knight and Blade Knight! She covered her mouth with her hand to prevent herself from screaming. She had been worried sick about those two. They appeared to be in good health, but Tiff quickly took notice that something wasn't quite right with them.

Meta Knight had mentioned seeing Sword earlier that evening and Kautounie claimed that she saw Blade. But Tiff's relief was quickly turning into worry when the the two knaves looked right at her, then drew their swords. It was then that Tiff remembered that Unnoticeability was not completely infallible. After all, Riley had seen right through it.

Sword and Blade could see something flickering, and were unsure of what it was. But it looked to be a person from what they could make out.

"We know you're ere', show yourself!" Sword Knight ordered.

Now Tiff knew something was very wrong. It was Sword's voice, alright, but it lacked all personality. For a moment, she thought about showing herself. But then she remembered; if Tuff simply stole the Star Piece from her, what would these two be willing to do in their current state?

Suddenly, a decision was made for her. There was a brilliant flash of light, that momentarily blinded her, and frantic shouting.

"After her, boys!" Marshal shouted from the Hanger doorway.

It was then Tiff realized that she no longer had the protection of her spell. Marshal must have done something to forcibly remove it. She had seen him cast magic of his own not moments before this mess began. But before she could ponder the mystery or even clear her eyes, two sets of hands grabbed her roughly and threw her to the tarmac.

Tiff stifled her pained cry, then attempted to fight back. She was about to cast a Fire spell using Wicked, but stopped once she remembered that it was Sword and Blade! Her hesitance cost her the fight before it really even began. Just as Tiff's vision was clearing up from the bright flash, Sword Knight butted the hilt of his sword against the girl's head, momentarily stunning her. Blade took this opportunity to tear Wicked from her hand while Sword forced her hands behind her back. Once she was subdued, the two knights bound her impossibly fast. As soon as Tiff began to question why they were doing this to her, one of the two silenced the mage by putting a gag over her mouth. Sword and Blade were quick to disarm their prisoner of her other weapons and belongings, including her knives and spell book.

Before she could fight back by kicking, the two knights picked her up and hauled her towards the Hanger. Tiff glared up at Marshal as she was dragged past him, but could not voice her displeasure with her mouth gagged.

"Mph! Mph-ou!" Tiff grumbled through her gag.

"Stupid girl! You've seen too much now! Take her down to the master, boys!" Marshal instructed, laughing to himself when Tiff squirmed futility in Sword's and Blade's grasp.

Why were they attacking her? What in the world was Marshal up to? Was he controlling them this entire time? And just who was this master? Some of these questions, Tiff didn't want to know the answer too, but she was going to find out, whether she wanted to or not!

*Geoffrey, Scouting Mission*

At the start of the night, Geoffrey quietly crept his way around the perimeter of the airfield. The human could seamlessly blend into the shadows and was near impossible to spot with the untrained eye. He stopped at the gates, taking another quick look around to make sure no one had seen him. Inhaling a deep breath, Geoffrey took his lock picks out of his coat and began to work on the lock.

Suddenly, a noise from the nearby warehouse, the one he, Meta Knight, and Neo had been poking around in earlier that day snapped the thief eyes away from his work and towards the direction of the sound. He couldn't be certain, but it was almost like an electric shock. Geoffrey stood up, pocketing his picks for now and silently slunk along the fence line and towards the warehouse.

"What the hell?" he mouthed quietly to himself.

Now that he could clearly see the building, Geoffrey could also take notice of the bright flashes of light coming through the window that was paired with the electricity. When the rogue chanced a peak inside, this is what he saw.

It was not at all like when he and his friends were there earlier. The once empty center of the room was taken up by a large, complex machine, the likes of which Geoffrey had only seen a few times in his life.

"A monster transporter? Where the hell were they hiding that thing?" he muttered to himself, silently cursing for having not noticed it before.

But if one thing could make him feel better, Meta Knight had failed to find it either. However, Geoffrey could not help but think that this was the reason Daisy was so quick to shoo them out. Her performance was more or less bordering on what he liked to call 'hammy'.

The rouge quickly ducked out of sight when one of the men inside, who was in fact one of the townspeople he had spoken too earlier that day, turned to look out the window.

"Shipment delivered successfully! Unit is safe for demon beast transport!" the man announced, unknowing that someone else was listening in.

"Perfect, delivery will be shipped tomorrow, 6:00am sharp, your time!" said a disembodied electronic voice Geoffrey did not recognize.

'Hmph, no demon beasts round' these parts my ass!' Geoffrey thought to himself.

He had seen enough, and it wasn't safe to linger in one spot for too long. Geoffrey had considered just shooting the man then and there, but a trail of dead bodies at this time wouldn't lead to anything good.

'Only in self defense!' the rogue mentally reminded himself, 'Or if they really piss me off!'

At least he had a real juicy bit of info to bring back for the rest of the team. Geoffrey slunk away from the warehouse and back to the fence, careful to avoid the flood lights that illuminated the tarmac. He took out his lock picks yet again and navigated his way back to the gates and set about showing himself in.

Once inside, Geoffrey shut the gates behind him as quietly as he could manage, then proceeded down the tarmac and towards the hanger bay. The rogue stopped about half way and crouched low to the ground to avoid being seen. He glanced around nervously, having sworn he could hear footsteps in the distance. Then Geoffrey saw the doors the the hanger open, and who should step outside? Why, Sword Knight and Blade Knight, of course!

"Sir Meta's boys in green armor. Well I'll be." Geoffrey muttered, a small smile forming on his lips.

But it was short lived. Suddenly, the two knaves' attention shifted elsewhere, and Geoffrey could now see something flicker against the light.

"No, no, it can't be! Tiff?!" Geoffrey groaned, "What the f*** are you doing out here?!"

The rogue stayed where he was at this moment. He couldn't afford to give away his position, lest he get noticed too. Then again, maybe he was just being paranoid. Perhaps Sword and Blade saw Tiff and were simply going to tell her they were okay... er... then again, they wouldn't really need their weapons out to do that!

"We know you're ere', show yourself!" Geoffrey could hear Sword Knight order.

"Shit..." the rogue whispered to himself.

Then Geoffrey could make out the gruff form of Marshal coming out to see what the problem was. Any hopes that he would put an end to the misunderstanding were dashed once Geoffrey witnessed the old man summon a bright flash of light from his hand and send it in Tiff's direction. The human had to cover his eyes for a moment, but when he looked up again, he could see Tiff standing there, clear as day, her Unnoticeability removed.

"After her, boys!" Marshal shouted.

Geoffrey thought about jumping in. Heck, two bullets to the head would solve the problem fast. But at this time, he was too far away, and Sword and Blade closed in on Tiff so quickly, he couldn't get a clear shot. The rogue already had his pistol out, and heavily considered firing anyway, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Those were his friends! They can't have been doing this on their own free will. Someone must have been forcing them to do this!

The two knights restrained Tiff and dragged her into the building. Marshal said something, but Geoffrey couldn't quite make it out. Once Sword, Blade, Tiff, and Marshal disappeared inside the hanger, the thief got up from his hiding place and sprinted, surprisingly quietly, across the runway.

"Why didn't you stop them when you had the chance?!" Geoffrey whispered, cursing to himself, "Because they would have seen you too, idiot! Oh Tiff, I'm sorry!"

Geoffrey began work on the hanger door lock, though he couldn't help but notice just how lax the security was, all things considered. Despite that little show Sword and Blade put on with Tiff, the locks were not that high of grade and there were no security cameras. (At least none that he saw, anyway.) Plus there wasn't very many guards out front. But what could you expect in a town with a population of 24.5?

Finally, the lock on the doors clicked open, and Geoffrey was inside. It was a single, open room, with a small scout ship parked in the center. He was completely alone, and since there was only the one way in, that anyone could see, that must have meant there was a secret door somewhere.

The human balked for a moment; any pilot that kept their hanger in this condition was truly criminal. Tools lay about in disarray, oil and other flammables left out in the open, and the entire space was a mess! It was a crime against mechanicians everywhere!

"Who are these people?" Geoffrey muttered in disgust.

He checked the surrounding walls, coming up with nothing in his search, then looked at the grit covered floor. The rogue knelt down, examining the muddled footprints. He followed them, all the way to the base of the scouting ship, then they vanished. Geoffrey snickered to himself. Trap doors and secret passageways! Go figure. It was well hidden, Geoffrey would give them that. The rogue opened up the hidden trap door, (with some difficulty, I might add) and looked down into the stairwell. It was dimly lit, and he could hear voices, but they sounded quite far away.

Taking in a deep breath, he descended downwards. It was the oddest feeling. The stairs didn't really go down that far, but the place was much bigger then anyone would perceive. At the bottom of the stairway, Geoffrey found himself in a much bigger hanger bay, that, much to his dismay, was brightly lit. Thankfully, since the stairwell was quite dark, no one had seen him as of yet, since most of their focus was on their new prisoner.

Geoffrey could not believe his eyes, yet there it was. The Halberd! In all her glory. He had to contain any excitement for his find, before he himself was found! The human scurried out of the stairwell, taking cover behind a support beam, breathing heavily. He could hear familiar voices, one of them unmistakably Daisy's.

"Oh, good job Sword and Blade, sweeties!" Daisy congratulated.

"That bimbo is in on this whole thing too?" Geoffrey mouthed to himself, unbelieving.

And to think he was worried about her safety!

It's sad, but true. That perfect little family were showing themselves for what they really were! Every one of them, giving praise to Holy Nightmare. Geoffrey chanced a peak, and could still see Sword and Blade holding onto Tiff. Then, the ringleader of the entire operation stepped into view. Geoffrey had seen him before, in the footage Garna had sent.

"Ronic..." he muttered, quickly ducking behind his cover again.

His heart was near pounding out of his chest. Excitement, adrenaline, anticipation, all of these things coursing through his body at once. He steeled himself, donning his clawed gauntlets and drawing both handguns. He had to get in, grab Tiff, get out, and tell the others what they were into. This entire time, they were right on top of an entire nest of Nightmare worshiping occultists!

*Tiff and her Captors*

Tiff continued to struggle against Sword's and Blade's hold. Then her eyes fell on the Halberd. (Granted, you'd have to try to miss it!) How did they capture that thing in the first place?! But, her built up anger only burned more fiercely when Mildred and Daisy joined in with the demon beasts that surrounded them.

"Oh, good job, Sword and Blade, sweeties!" Daisy giggled.

"Them boys caught this sweet little thing wonderin' about outside!" Marshal added, earning another vicious glare from Tiff.

"These are her weapons." Sword said, handing Daisy the wand, spell book, and knives.

"Oh, I had you pegged for a spell caster, darlin'! Wizard and a star warrior, huh? Honey, that might be just what the boss needs!" Daisy giggled.

Before Tiff could rebel against her captors again, everyone silenced. Laughing softly and heading towards them was that small halfling, clad in black, the one Garna had warned the team about earlier when she sent that transmission; Ronic. Tiff's face visibly frowned. This guy didn't look very threatening, he was only about her height! But, the hulking beast following him was quite terrifying. Tiff had seen Masher more times then she would care to admit, and it wasn't difficult to identify.

"Hmhmhm! I see that you have fallen into my trap, my dear, so that I might have my way with you!" Ronic began, though his voice was in a laughably forced low.

"Ronic, darlin', you're tryin' way to hard." Daisy sighed.

"Awwww... DAMN IT, BITCH! Now you've ruined my fantasy! Holy Nightmare damn you to hell, woman!" Ronic snarled, his voice going back to grating and obnoxious, "Chew your gum, or whatever it is you hot, sexy ass teens do!"

Daisy rolled her eyes, waving her hand in the air and sighed.

Ronic, still pent up and hopping mad, regained his composure, then approached Tiff, standing about a foot or so away from her. He snapped his fingers, and then Blade removed Tiff's gag.

"URG! Who are you and what have you done to Sword and Blade?!" Tiff screamed.

Ronic only chuckled and smiled, one Tiff longed the slice right off his face, "Ah, so you know these two then? I'll admit, their loyalty to another master made them difficult for me to... condition." he began, "Like what I've done to the place? Sorry we didn't have much time to tidy up, but we weren't expecting guests quite so soon, cookie!"

Tiff leveled her indignant glare to the mad halfling, "How did you get a hold of the Halberd? What have you done with my family and friends?!"

"To many questions!" Mildred sighed, "Put that gag back in her mouth already."

Ronic rolled his eyes, glaring daggers at Mildred, "Do you mind, woman?!"

Satisfied, the insane halfling continued, "It wasn't easy, I'll tell you that much, sweetheart!"

He snapped his fingers again, then, to Tiff's horror, she saw King Dedede, Escargoon, Tuff, her mother, father, and an assortment of Waddle Dees and Cappies that the Halberd rescued from the remains of Cappy Town before leaving Dreamland. Ronic had King Dedede tap dance, Escargoon lie down on the floor like a dog, and Tuff started worshiping Ronic! Every one of them obeyed that insane halfling without question. Tiff was beyond mortified.

"See there, cookie? That's total control. I can have them do anything I want. But you don't help the overlord of the universe take what's rightfully his by having you're slaves perform party tricks! I'll tell you that much, sweetie cakes! Naturally, the Masher here helped out a little." Ronic explained, "Not to mention that lout Bruno... hey, where is that armored land mass anyway? Anyone see him? Anyone taller then me?" he asked, getting horribly off subject.

Daisy and the rest of her family shook their heads, as did the rest of the workers. Even Masher put in his two cents.

"Fine! Anyway, where was I? Nabbing the Halberd, yes! Alright, Masher and Bruno got rid of most of the problems, but the biggest problem of all, these people. But people are worth more to me alive then dead, you see. That's why I didn't have Sword and Blade just kill you on the spot! Besides, then I'd actually have to pay my clean up crew!" Ronic bragged, "You see here, you fashion queen, I have a special gift for spells that control the mind. That's why these two and the rest of them obey my orders without question!"

"What about them?" Tiff snarled, gesturing to Marshal and his family as best she could with her hands tied, "Did you ensnare them too?"

"Nah, I didn't have to! They were already worshiping Holy Nightmare when I got here!" Ronic snorted, waving his hand and turning his back to Tiff, "Go on, let her in on it."

"Let me in on what?" Tiff asked, growing worried.

"Tehe, whether you know it or not, you're quite well acquainted with my sister... half sister, actually." Daisy explained.

"What are you talking about? I've never met your half sister!" Tiff shouted.

"Yes you have, girlie!" Marshal grumbled. "Her name's Riley Prescott!"

Tiff froze, nearly feeling her heart stop for a moment. This couldn't be true! It just couldn't be! To think that she, Kirby, and the team were trying to keep these people safe! And all this time, they were related to Riley?!

"You-you mean you're-?" Tiff stammered.

"Yup, I'm Miss Riley's daddy, Marshal Prescott!" Marshal laughed, grinning when he saw the look of disbelief in Tiff's eyes.

"Okay, okay, that's enough!" Ronic announced, "Now then, time for you to join your friends and family, cookie!" he added, grinning with evil delight at the frightened look on the girl's face.

The more she struggled, the harder Sword's and Blade's grip became. Tiff cursed herself for being so stupid! She never should have taken off on her own. What would this madman have her do to the rest of her friends?

"No! I wont become one of your slaves!" Tiff screamed.

"Hmhmhmmmm! That's what they said!" Ronic mocked, pointing to Sword Knight and Blade Knight, "Cookie!"

He circled his frightened captive, snickering all the way, "What made you come all this way to me? Was it my charm? Was it my irresistible evil-?"

"Hmph! You wish!" Tiff snarled.

"Or was it this?" Ronic asked, taking the Star Piece from the satchel at his side.

Tiff only saw it for a few seconds, but it appeared as though another piece had been added onto it. Of course! Masher never was Riley's next general, nor were the other Prescotts. It was Ronic!

"Pleased to meet you, cookie!" Ronic purred, "The name's Ronic! Ronic Shadowchoker!"

*Geoffrey*

Geoffrey had seen and heard enough. After witnessing Ronic display his slaves like trophies, the rogue took in a few deep breaths. Get Tiff, bugger out, get the team, return and storm the joint! A simple plan, but by no means easy. He'd have to avoid Sword, Blade, and the rest of the Halberd's mind warped crew, as well at the Prescotts, Ronic, and the countless number of demon beasts, including the Masher! Yup, much easier said then done.

"Oh this is so stupid, what are you thinking? Here goes-" Geoffrey muttered.

He suddenly felt his heart sink as a massive shadow loomed over him, then his eyes met up to the large man standing in front of him. Well, met up to his armored chest, anyway. Geoffrey slowly looked up to see the clueless, slack jawed face that could only belong to that walking landmass named Bruno.

"Nothin'..." Geoffrey slowly finished, a nervous smile on his face.

Bruno, thankfully, didn't appear to be angry; just curious, "What are you doing here, little guy? Are you new here?"

Thinking quickly, Geoffrey answered, "Yes, I am! Sorry, I was just a little bit nervous, what with it being the first day on the job and all." he said, slowly hiding his guns behind his back.

Much to his surprise, Bruno nodded in understanding.

"Hey, please don't let them know I'm here. You see Ronic and I... we go back a ways and I wanted to surprise him." Geoffrey whispered.

"I see, well, good luck on your first day!" Bruno said, mimicking Geoffrey's quiet tone.

The rogue let out a sigh of relief once the hulk left. Boy was Garna right, that guy was just about half as smart as an ox, though just as large! He couldn't cling to the hope that the plate mailed gorilla would keep his word, nor did he expect him too. The guy did work for Nightmare, after all.

Geoffrey caught the tail end of the now revealed Prescott's and Ronic's bragging, then could hear the halfling start up another one of his shouting rants.

"Bruno, you tin-plated continent of flesh, where the hell have you been?!" Ronic shouted, "You missed my gloating session!"

"I was just speaking with the new guy hiding right behind that support beam over there!" Bruno explained proudly.

"Shit..." Geoffrey whispered to himself, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth for a moment.

"Bruno... we're not expecting any new recruits at this time." Ronic began, calmly, "Did it ever occur to you that this... new guy is actually a Star Warrior spy?! SHMUCK!" he shouted, his anger escalating.

"No, not really." Bruno answered.

"Actually, that's a good question, how do you know?" Tiff asked.

"GRAAAHHHHHH!" Ronic snarled.

Geoffrey knew that the odds were against him, but he didn't have much of a choice now. He had often preached that he despised fair fights. The rogue smirked to himself, then leaped from his hiding spot, guns blazing. Mildred screamed, then took aim with her rifle, firing a shot. The bullet grazed Geoffrey's shoulder, though he knew it could have easily gone through his neck.

"Geoffrey!" Tiff screamed, kicking against Sword and Blade as the two knaves dragged her away.

"Get him, get him!" Ronic shouted, "Shoot him, hurt him, do something! Earn your damn paychecks for once!"

Geoffrey didn't have a lot of time to think. This fight was escalating out of hand before it even got started. He took aim and fired at Mildred, nailing the old woman with a shot to her withered gut.

"Ma!" Daisy screamed as the old woman collapsed.

"Mildred! Why you son of a-!" Marshal began, only to be silenced with a shot to his right between the eyes.

"You better not say bitch, because my mom is a dog!" Geoffrey finished for him.

Daisy was now beyond infuriated. With two shots, both her mother and father were dead! With one hand, she drew the pistol at her hip, and with the other, she sent a wave of magic missiles straight for Geoffrey. The rogue doubled over from the pain and dropped to one knee.

"What are you waiting for?! Get in there!" Ronic shouted, at both Masher and Bruno, "You too... your highness!" he added, gesturing to King Dedede.

Geoffrey unloaded both his guns at the Masher and Bruno, only to realize that they weren't even scratched. The Masher 2.0 and Masher just kept coming, causing the smaller demon beasts to scurry away and out of the fight. Then there was also a very pissed off Daisy to contend with along with King Dedede.

"Just don't wreck my equipment, we may not be-" Ronic began, just as Masher's flail crushed a computer console when Geoffrey rolled out of the way, "Insured..."

The battle was quite short. Geoffrey would get in a shot here or there, and he took out a few of the minor fiends plus he sent Ronic scurrying for cover, (and by the intensity of the foul language, he must have nailed the little bastard), but he quickly found himself overwhelmed by Masher and Bruno alone, then put Daisy's spells on top of that. A well shot blast of fire momentarily stunned the thief, leaving him prone for King Dedede to relocate his ribs with a swing of his hammer.

"Holy shit!" Geoffrey choked out, this being the first time he had been struck with King Dedede's massive hammer.

He struggled to his feet, barely getting there just before Bruno grabbed hold of him. Geoffrey may have been slippery, but he wasn't getting out of the plate mailed ox's grip any time soon. He feebly scraped his clawed gauntlets against the knight's armor, but to no avail.

"Hey, you're not a new guy! You lied to me!" Bruno whined, "That wasn't nice."

"Figured that out all on your own, did you?" Geoffrey snorted.

Tiff had nearly managed to squirm out of her captor's holds, right up until Sword and Blade had enough of her and kicked her in the gut. She coughed violently, even spitting up a little blood.

Daisy stormed past Masher and Ronic, straight to Geoffrey and Bruno. Now Geoffrey knew where he had seen that look. He had seen it one to many times, usually with every meeting he and Riley had. Now that it was out in the open, you could tell that those two were related.

Daisy pressed her gun to Geoffrey's forehead and pulled back the hammer.

"Head or gut first, you sand snake? You're gettin' one in each after what you did to my ma and daddy!"

Geoffrey only laughed, "Sand snake? What happened to sugar and darlin'? Or gentleman?"

Daisy only became more enraged. Her finger slowly began to squeeze on the trigger.

"NO! GEOFFREY!" Tiff screamed.

"Stop!" Ronic ordered.

"I'm not one of your slaves, Ronic! This here boy killed my ma and daddy!" Daisy insisted.

"He's worth nothing to me dead. Drop the gun you wild bitch!" Ronic shouted.

Daisy looked like she wanted to ignore Ronic and just put a bullet in Geoffrey's head anyway. But, once the Masher stepped forward, flail ready to swing, Daisy lowered her weapon.

"Hey, you could have shot me too, you know." Bruno pointed out.

"Fine! But you better have good reason for keepin' that one alive, darlin'!" Daisy glowered at Ronic, holstering her gun.

"No 'buts' in my occult, honey buns! Unless of course you're talkin' about yours or Riley's of course!" Ronic cackled, rubbing his hands together, "Now then, time to welcome two new team mates into the fold! Hehehehehahaaaaaaa!"

The halfling motioned for Sword and Blade to bring Tiff and stand beside Bruno so he could get to work.

"No, you can't do this to us!" Tiff screamed.

"Who's gonna stop me, cookie?" Ronic snorted, "This battle was already won the moment you set foot in Harmony!"

"We'll see!" Geoffrey challenged, "Just wait until my sisters get their claws on you, shortie! You better pray Sir Meta Knight gets to you first! He'll make it clean and quick. My sisters will make damn sure you suffer."

"Oh, I can't wait to see them try!" Ronic cackled, "I think I shall start with you, wall flower, first!"

Smirking and his face full of confidence, Ronic began weaving his sorcery. Tiff and Geoffrey were resisting as hard as they could at first, but it was quickly becoming overwhelming. Eventually, the last thing the both of them remembered was Ronic casting his spell, then everything went black.

"Get the troops ready! It's time to do this war thing!" Ronic cackled.

*Back at the Inn*

Kirby was having a difficult time getting comfortable. It was very cold in his room. The little pink warrior blearily opened his eyes. Then he saw the problem. Someone had left the window open. Sleepily, Kirby untangled himself from his blankets, jumped up on the windowsill, and closed the window. It was almost sun rise, and Kirby could see the first streaks of sunlight breaking through the dark of the early morning hours. He let out another tired chirp and took a quick look around. Something was missing, and he quickly figured out what, or rather, who it was!

"Poyo, Tiff!" Kirby cried out.

The pink puffball tore out of his room, opening each door to see if for some reason Tiff was in a different room, though at the same time, disturbing any occupants.

"What's the matter with you, Kirby?" Knuckle Joe moaned sleepily.

"Tiff, Tiff's gone, poyo!" Kirby chided, anxiously.

Now Knuckle Joe looked more awake. The fighting elf tossed his covers off and followed Kirby to wake up the other members of the group.

Meanwhile, Kautounie paced around the downstairs, keeping both an eye and an ear out for Geoffrey to return. It was taking way to long! He should have been back by now. The zwetoock groaned, yawned loudly, and continued keeping watch until such time when Knuckle Joe was supposed to come down to relieve her. Hmph, he was probably still sleeping!

Something wasn't sitting well with her. No, not just because Knuckle Joe was already half an hour late. She could hear noises ringing through the night. For a moment, she thought about investigating, but didn't.

"Damn it, Geoffrey, what is taking you so long?" Kautounie muttered, flicking her ears.

She paced a little while more, tail swaying slowly behind her. Her eyes fell on the spell book laid out on the table that she had previously been going through, but she was finding it difficult to concentrate. Then her ears caught several noises coming from upstairs. Kautounie was about to investigate, only to find she didn't have to. Kirby and the rest of the crew were coming down to her. Well... most of the crew, anyway.

"Ummm, where's Tiff?" she asked.

"Funny, we were gonna ask you the same thing!" Knuckle Joe grumbled, combing out his messy blonde hair with his hand.

"Tiff has gone missing, and Geoffrey has yet to return, it seems." Meta Knight observed.

"Apparently." Kautounie growled, running her hand through her pink mane.

Kirby began babbling incoherently, stopping only when Neo began massaging the sensitive spot on his shoulders to calm him down. Gently, the younger Redsun plucked up the little guy and held him in her arms.

"Easy now, Kirby. Just tell us slowly." Neo instructed.

After regaining his breath, Kirby began, "Tiff... the window in our room... left open... Tiff sneak out!"

"No wonder I never saw her leave." Kautounie muttered, "Must have been downwind too, never caught a whiff of her."

"It is quite possible that Tiff set out to reclaim the the Star Rod shard on her own." Meta Knight deducted, "She has been the guardian of Kirby's Warp Star for years."

"Poyo..." Kirby sighed sadly.

Kautounie thought for a moment, then grabbed her hoodie off her chair and tied it around her waist. Next, she began loading and checking all of her weapons.

"We know for a fact that someone around here works for Nightmare Enterprises! If they've done anything to Geoffrey or Tiff-!" Kautounie snarled.

She stopped suddenly and twisted around, growling. Neo, who had been comforting Kirby, gently set him down beside Knuckle Joe and Meta Knight. She too was growling. The sisters' ears flicked forward and their eyes stared straight ahead, like wolves that just caught wind of their prey.

Now the three Star Warriors could sense it too. Knuckle Joe and Kautounie both had that look, the look they got before a fight began.

"Poyo, poyo! Look!" Kirby cried, taking a peak out the window.

Several figures, some dressed like average citizens of the town, others dressed in blue starry robes and leather armor with spaulders were quickly approaching, all carrying torches and assorted weapons. The smell of sulfur and smog followed them. Then Kirby could see the hell hounds and other demon beasts mixed in with the mob of occultists. There were certainly more people then were previously thought!

"Enemies of the true master must surrender or die! Holy Nightmare shall rule this galaxy and all others beyond!" was being chanted over and over again.

"Not just one person it seems, rather the entire town!" Meta Knight snarled, his eyes flashing red, drawing Galaxia.

Kautounie took Matilda off her back and Neo drew her 44 Magnum revolver. She got a bit of joy, seeing the surprised look on Knuckle Joe's face.

"A gift from Geoffrey." Neo explained.

Knuckle Joe smirked and nodded, readying himself for a vast array of martial arts attacks. Kirby meanwhile, closed his eyes and concentrated. (Remember that little gift Dr. Knarks gave him?) Kirby's form shifted as he rejoined his companions, turning bright acid green, with a crown of smoke and toxic fumes adorning his head. In the gem on the center of the crown was the bio-hazard symbol.

"Poyo! Poison fumes and smog! Toxic waste, not what you'd think!" Toxic Kirby announced.

Meta Knight smirked beneath his mask. Kirby's relatively new Toxic ability was quite devastating. He and the others would just have to be careful not to get caught in the blast.

He quickly snapped from his thoughts when the stomping of many boots began trampling up the stairs reached his ears along with many shouts and death threats.

"Lets do this shit!" Kautounie snarled, ears pinning back against her head.

Kautounie, Neo, and Kirby stepped in front. Toxic Kirby opened his mouth, forming a wispy projectile of poisonous matter in the back of his throat, while Kautounie summoned a fuchsia colored ball of flame in her free hand, and Neo, a bolt of lightning. The cat was out of the bag now, no sense in worrying about property damages!

The three of them let their attacks and spells fly. Just as some of the occultists began to break through the windows and climb in, Kirby's toxic projectile knocked down the door of the inn, along with it's hinges, and exploded, furthermore enhancing the strength of Kautounie's fireball, as the fumes burst into flames once the zwetoock's spell had been released. Neo's lightning bolt was able to take care of any leftovers and hell hounds that were immune to the fire. Once their first attack was complete, there wasn't much left of the front of the hotel. But there was a nice, big open hole now!

"Well done, but this is only the beginning!" Meta Knight warned, leaping into the air and summoning his sword beam.

With the way temporarily cleared, the five of them rushed outside into the streets and surveyed the situation. Naturally, those caught in Kautounie's fireball were fried crispy, and the ones stewing in Toxic Kirby's poison gas were not faring much better. There were a few charred patches on the road from where Neo's lightning bolt had struck some hell hounds.

Then, more occultists could be seen, some coming out of nearby buildings, others sliding from the shadows.

"Holy Nightmare protect us, Holy Nightmare defend us!" could be heard being chanted, "Lead us to victory in your name, great and Holy Nightmare!"

Neo narrowed her eyes, then took a shot at the closest one with her revolver. Apparently the dead body of their fallen comrade did nothing to quell these lunatics. They simply trotted over the corpse like it was a mildly annoying obstacle.

"It seems there's only one thing these weirdos will understand!" Knuckle Joe shouted, "Smash punch, Spin kick!"

The five of them battled their way through the seemingly endless torrents of Nightmare worshipers. Sometime into the battle, over the sounds of war cries and monster snarls, Neo and Kautounie both picked up on what sounded like neighing and hooves pounding on pavement. Apparently during the chaos of the brawl, the horses had broken out of the poorly constructed stable and were making a break for it.

Kautounie, after shooting an enraged occultist in the face with Matilda, gave a sharp yip and a howl, "Diesel!"

The huge gray stallion broke off from running with the other horses and towards his mistress. Diesel galloped right over two men and several hell hounds that got in his way, though he very carefully leaped over Meta Knight as not to hurt the star warrior. Kautounie smirked, then jumped onto the Percheron's back as he stopped in front of her. Even with no reins or saddle, she could still ride Diesel just as well as if she had them. While Meta Knight, Knuckle Joe, and Kirby took out their enemies in bulk, Kautounie would run over or shoot any stragglers.

Toxic Kirby's poison had done a good job clearing out occultists and demon beasts alike. Even hell hounds with their natural smog that follows them, withered from the toxic fumes before they could belch flames of their own. With weakened howls of defeat, the hell hounds ignited in their death, giving further fuel to Kirby's poisonous attacks.

"Way to go, Kirby! Keep it up!" Knuckle Joe shouted, while he lobbed a few more smash punches into the fray.

"Poyo, Joe!" Kirby responded, right before breathing a massive cloud of black smoke at oncoming attackers.

Neo stayed at a distance, firing her magnum or using a group heal spell when her companions appeared to be weakening. With Tiff gone, she was the only team medic, and Sundar knows they would need her!

"Sundar, protect us in battle!" Neo howled.

Soon enough, Meta Knight's second sword beam cut a trench right through the road, entrapping those caught in the path to their fate and effectively ending the brawl. Then things became deathly silent.

"Nice sword beam, there, Sir Meta Knight!" Kautounie commented.

"Thank you." Meta Knight said, flicking some of the blood off his golden blade.

"Lets go wipe out the rest of em'!" Knuckle Joe shouted.

The team made their way through Harmony, alert for any dangers that could be lurking. So far, nothing was trying to stop them.

"This doesn't feel right! There is something else, I'm sure of it!" Meta Knight warned.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Kautounie asked, trotting beside the elder warrior on Diesel.

"Poyo." Kirby sighed, letting a small puff of toxic fog escape his mouth.

Then Kirby heard something, like an electric shock. He knew that sound, and apparently, so did Meta Knight. Kirby anxiously tugged on his mentor's cape, resulting in Meta Knight's coughing and covering up his face with the other half of his cape. The little warrior backed away with a nervous smile. He had to be more careful with his toxic ability.

"You hear it too, young one?" Meta Knight asked, once he stopped coughing.

"I hear it, sounds like something electrical." Neo mentioned.

"Poyo, monster transporter! Poyo, Medi Kni!" Kirby chided, pointing towards the direction that the noise was coming from.

"You sure?" Knuckle Joe questioned.

"Oh yes. It's a very distinctive sound!" Meta Knight insisted.

Kautounie rode in front of Meta Knight and Kirby while Knuckle Joe and Neo watched the flanks and rear. Perhaps those creeps fled to replenish their demon beast troops. Well, they could have picked a better spot, that's for sure! They were alongside the airfield, heading towards the two warehouses outside the fence, one of which was generating all sorts of zaps, shocks, and roars.

"I knew there wasn't something right with that warehouse!" Meta Knight grumbled.

"Told ya something in there smelled funny!" Neo snorted.

"Poyo, toxic fog!" Toxic Kirby announced.

Kautounie trotted off to the side while Meta Knight and Kirby charged forward. Toxic Kirby leaped into the air, belching out a blast of black smoke, letting it seep through the poor wood and broken windows. Shortly after wards, three occultists and a panicked wolfwrath stumbled out. The occultists, two woman and one man, were busy hacking and coughing, while the wolfwrath took this opportunity to flee, heedless of any extra injuries he caused to his handlers. Meta Knight twisted around to use a sword beam on the beast while Knuckle Joe used a smash punch. Much to their dismay, the fiend ignored them and jumped over the fence and into the airfield, even as Neo emptied the last of her magnum bullets at the wolfwrath.

"Damn!" Knuckle Joe cursed.

They could go after the demon beast later! Right now, there was the matter of the three occultists, who, although burnt, scratched up, and suffering from poison, were reaching for their weapons.

"Surrender!" Meta Knight ordered, "And be spared!"

"Go to... -cough- Hell, Star Warrior!" choked out one of the females, as she raised her handgun, giving Meta Knight no choice but to kill her.

The other two were given the same offer and chose not to take it. Although that was just fine with the Redsun sisters, Meta Knight wasn't entirely happy about it. He didn't like killing prone targets in this way, he felt it went against his honor. But, in the end he justified that the galaxy was now rid of three Nightmare worshipers.

Kirby and Neo took a look inside the warehouse, and low and behold, there was a monster transporter inside. It was a complex machine that must have taken a lot of time to build, not to mention hide.

"Where the hell did they hide this thing?!" Neo asked.

"It must have been here this entire time, right under our feet. Perhaps that's why Daisy was so eager to get us to leave!" Meta Knight remarked.

"Medi Kni, you think she's... she's in on it, too?" Kirby questioned.

"Well, the rest of the town seems to be!" Meta Knight grunted.

"Meta Knight, Kirby, Neo, get out here!" Kautounie called.

The three of them left the monster transporter alone for now. If things went well, they could always investigate later. But then again, things didn't look like they were going to go well at all! On the other side of the fence, at the far end of the airfield runway, Nightmare's occultists rallied, though to be fair, they were having some difficulty with the wolfwrath that was still running around. But that wasn't all. At the front was unmistakably Geoffrey and Tiff! At first, the Redsuns, Meta Knight, Kirby, and Joe felt relieved, but then quickly realized that something wasn't right.

Before they could pinpoint the exact problem, an explosion coming from the main hanger grabbed everyone's attention. Kirby and Knuckle Joe both stared in shock, when out of the smoke and rubble, the familiar form of their old nemesis stepped out, spiked flail in hand. Two large mechanical wings unfurled from the great monstrosity's back. Then, the massive fiend's soulless red gaze turned to them, it's sights set on Knuckle Joe in particular.

"Masher 2.0!" Knuckle Joe growled, "Finally!"

Diesel reared up and kicked his front legs in the air, snorting angrily. Neo and Kautounie both summoned their bolts of lightning, knocking down a good portion of the rusty chain link fence. Well, this was the moment Knuckle Joe had come all this way for, and he wasn't about to let it pass.

"Ready, Kirby?" Knuckle Joe asked, quivering with adrenaline.

"Poyo! Kirby shouted.

Meanwhile, hiding amongst the smoke and rubble created by his "over-glorified garbage can", Ronic watched from a safe distance while his minions battled. Bruno and Daisy were on either side of him, standing guard. Suddenly, there was a stray blast of fire from the fight, causing the three of them to scatter. Ronic glared upwards, and saw the fuchsia pelt and yellow eyes that belonged to wolfwrath.

"Okay, who ordered the damn wolfwrath?!" Ronic grumbled.

"Ummm... you did, actually." Bruno answered.

"Grrrrrrrr..." was all Ronic managed to get out, then set his sights back to the fight unfolding before them.

Kautounie lined up with the two star warriors, putting Matilda away and taking out her Defender swords instead. Neo and Meta Knight decided that they would fend off the rest of their attackers and see about rescuing Tiff and Geoffrey while Kirby, Kautounie, and Knuckle Joe dealt with Masher 2.0. This was it, now or never. Heavily outnumbered and with the odds against them, yet filled with fighting spirit and determination, Kirby and his team charged.

 **Author's Notes::** Okay, 24 is up! Yay me! This one has a lot of focus on Tiff and Geoffrey, as they're the ones sneaking and skulking about. We also finally get to really witness just what Ronic is capable of and why he is so dangerous... plus how dumb Bruno is. (And to think, that wasn't one of Geoffrey's good lies!) Anyway, Tiff and Geoffrey have been placed under a powerful mind controlling spell, Masher has been unleashed, and the secret of the Town of Harmony has been spilled. How will Joe and Kirby defeat the Masher 2.0 this time, and what will the team do when pitted against their friends? Now the battle has truly begun!

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	26. Into the Monster's Nest

In You're Nightmares, Into the Monster's Nest

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and a Very Powerful Loudmouth Runt.

Masher 2.0 started forward into the battle, twirling it's massive flail. In a way, it was a lot like Weston's fighting style, just on a MUCH larger scale. Neo and Meta Knight split off from Kirby and the others, heading for the occultists and other demon beasts, as well as Tiff and Geoffrey. One thing that was for sure, this was not going to be an easy fight! Considering the last time Kirby and Knuckle Joe faced Masher, it was alone. This time, there was a small army backing it up.

Tiff and Geoffrey let the other occultists and the stray wolfwrath into battle ahead of them. Considering the Masher's girth and lack of grace, the demon beasts, including the wolfwrath, steered clear of it.

Watching from the burning wreckage of what was once his scout ship's hanger, Ronic watched the fight expectantly, though he was on the lookout for any more unexpected blasts from the wolfwrath.

"Go get em', Masher! Grind them all into itty bitty star warrior meatballs!" Ronic shouted from the sidelines, "Geoffrey, Tiff, wipe em' out!"

"This ought to be a good battle!" Daisy said, smirking.

"Can someone define good?" Bruno asked, scratching his head in confusion.

*Meta Knight and Neo*

With a snarl, the wolfwrath leaped forward, breathing a massive stream of fireballs, uncaring of who or what got in the way. Meta Knight dodged one blast, and absorbed another with Galaxia, while Neo formed her protective Ice Shield. Wolfwrath targeted Meta Knight first, (seriously, he attracts those things, does he smell like a a beggin' strip or something?) taking a swipe with his massive paws, following up with a bite. Meta Knight let out a grunt as sharp claws raked across his mask, leaving distinct marks in it.

While Meta Knight gave the fiend a mouthful of Galaxia, Neo used a Fireball of her own to clear out the small group of approaching occultists, though her next attack was nearly wasted when Masher's flail nearly knocked her off her feet.

"Holy shit!" Neo growled, chancing a glance to Knuckle Joe's and Kirby's fight.

She could see Toxic Kirby and Knuckle Joe dishing out everything they had, plus Kautounie ride by and give the Masher a taste of the Defender.

The wolfwrath and Meta Knight were quite evenly matched, though a nasty slash to Meta Knight's arm caused the old veteran to stumble back for a moment. Neo's face formed into a smirk. Wolfwrath wasn't fond of water, and since there wasn't any around to dump the beast into, she'd just have to take the water to it.

"Meta Knight, disengage!" Neo warned, whipping her hand around in a circular motion.

A shimmering veil of blue began to form, quickly turning into a vicious cyclone of water. Apparently Meta Knight didn't have to disengage, wolfwrath took off all on it's own! Neo sent the whirlpool after the fiend, also picking up and scattering some occultists and demon beasts along the way. There was a pained yelp and a flash of light. Yup, that was the end of that wolfwrath!

"Good thinking, Neo!" Meta Knight complimented.

He didn't waste any time. The star warrior whipped out his dragon fang dagger. With both Galaxia and his knife, Meta Knight summoned a duel sword beam, which cleaved a massive trench into the ground and obliterated any demon beast caught in it's path. Once the smoke began to clear, he could see a large portion of the occultists and their demon beasts retreating from the fight, yet Geoffrey and Tiff were fast approaching. Both had a glazed over expressionless look in their eyes. Geoffrey raised his hand gun, and started shooting... at Meta Knight!

"Geoffrey-!" Meta Knight began, his thoughts quickly consumed by rolling out of the way of one shot and deflecting another.

Meta Knight's eyes blazed an angry red, and for a moment, a vision of Gerard Collins flashed in front of his eyes. But then he noticed that Tiff started attacking them as well.

"What is wrong with you two?!" the elder veteran snarled.

"They're being controlled, Meta Knight!" Neo shouted, fending off one of Tiff's spells, "I know a Charming when I see it! A very powerful Charming Curse at that!"

Geoffrey continued to fire at Meta Knight, staring straight ahead and ignoring the rest of the fight around him. Meta Knight blocked a few more bullets with Galaxia, though one did find it's way into his side. The star warrior grunted in pain, taking a glance to the injury, then back up to Geoffrey, who put his now empty pistols away and drew two knives, one of them Meta Knight recognized as the knife he had taken from those occultists on the coastline a while back.

"Sir Meta Knight!" Neo called out, attempting to use a Group Heal, only to be interrupted by Tiff and Wicked's acid whip.

The girl had a possessed look on her face. Then, a small smirk formed on her lips, as she cast a healing spell of her own... on Masher!

"This is really going to complicate things!" Neo yelped, ears flattening against her skull.

With Tiff and Geoffrey fighting against them, things weren't looking to good. Neo and Meta Knight knew they had to kill off the demon beasts and occultists, yet find a way to merely subdue Tiff and Geoffrey until they could remove the curse that afflicted them. Much easier said then done.

*The Masher 2.0*

Masher 2.0 flung his flail towards his oncoming challengers. Knuckle Joe and Kirby dodged to the right, while Kautounie and Diesel, dodged left. The demon beast pried it's massive weapon from out of the damaged runway for another swing.

"Vulcan jab, Vulcan jab! How do ya like that?!" Knuckle Joe shouted.

The Vulcan Jabs had a mild effect on Masher, meaning more or less that they were slightly annoying. Masher 2.0 lumbered forward, soulless gaze still locked on Knuckle Joe.

"Poyo! Toxic fog!" Kirby shouted, belching out a plume of poisonous gas.

He skidded to a halt, then rolled out of the way as Masher's flail came sailing overhead. Apparently the powerful beast was unaffected by poison. Come to think of it, Masher was mechanical, meaning it didn't breathe. Of course poison gas would have no effect!

"You might wanna duck!" Kautounie shouted, her hand glowing with arcane energy.

"Ya don't have to tell me that!" Knuckle Joe shouted, narrowly avoiding becoming a permanent part of the tarmac.

While Kirby's Toxic fog was still hanging in the air, Kautounie flung a fireball, centering it on the poison gas lingering around Masher's head for a more explosive effect. Sure enough, she was rewarded with a pained groan from the Masher and it was actually forced back. When she smoke cleared, the hard, steel plate armor that encased the beast was dented and still smoldered, while the visor that served as it's eyes had dulled.

"Whoa, nice one, Kautounie!" Knuckle Joe commented, with a smirk.

But, much to their disappointment, the beast's vision came back online, and it continued it's rampage, nearly oblivious to the damage it had sustained. Masher's gaze turned to Kautounie, seeing that a new nuisance needed to be dealt with. It began to swing it's massive flail again as Kautounie spurred Diesel into a charge. The first flail strike missed, thanks to a well aimed shot from Knuckle Joe's spin kick, giving Kautounie enough time to ride by and take a swing with her Defender. It was barely a graze, though the enchanted steel of the blades held up to Masher 2.0's armor, and left a decent mark too. The zwetoock rider turned Diesel around for a second charge, But this time, Masher predicted her move and nailed it's mark. With a howls and grunts of pain, both Kautounie and her mount were sent tumbling across the tarmac.

"Poyo, Taunie!" Kirby cried out.

Kautounie was quite winded, and it didn't help much that she was trapped under her horse as Diesel struggled to stand up. Masher 2.0 loomed over the zwetoock mage and raised his foot, ready to stomp horse and rider flat into the ground. Then, several orbs of energy from behind tore the creature's attention away.

"Hey, over here ya bucket of bolts!" Knuckle Joe shouted, "I'm the one you want!"

This distracted the beast long enough for Kautounie to slide out from under Diesel as the horse shifted to let his mistress up.

"Thanks, Joe!" Kautounie shouted, twisting around onto all fours.

She grew angrier when she actually saw what Masher had done to her beloved horse. Diesel was badly injured; he couldn't even stand. Hurting her was one thing, but hurting her horse was another. Kautounie's ears pinned against the back of her head and her fur stood on end.

"Diesel, you've done enough, old friend!"

Kautounie snarled loudly, then summoned a bolt of lightning, sending the crackling electricity right into the monster's chest, before picking up her duel-bladed sword and rejoining the fight.

Toxic Kirby began to feel something boiling up inside his gut, and the feeling only became more intense. Black smoke began to pour from his mouth, followed by a blast of acidic green flames. Masher howled in agony as the corrosive fire ate through his steel plating. Cheering, Knuckle Joe followed up with a roundhouse, and Kautounie, another fireball.

"Nice work, team!" Knuckle Joe congratulated.

The near victory was short lived. Knuckle Joe, Kirby, and Kautounie saw that Geoffrey and Tiff were fighting against Meta Knight and Neo, helping the occultists gain an upper hand against them. What was worse, all their hard work in putting damage on Masher was all for not, as Tiff turned her healing spells on the monster. The corrosive effects of the acid completely faded away, as did the smoldering burns and dents.

"Poyo, poyo, Tiff!?" Toxic Kirby cried out, unbelieving in what he was seeing.

A swing of Masher's flail quickly brought Kirby back to his own battle, though Kautounie had enough time to see Neo tackle Tiff to the ground before she herself was forced back into battle with Masher.

Toxic Kirby breathed another stream of acidic flame at Masher 2.0. The green blaze began eating away at the powerful demon beast's armor once again, though this only seemed to enrage Masher further. Even as Knuckle Joe and Kautounie threw a barrage of Smash Punches and Fireballs respectively, Masher 2.0 swung it's mighty flail this time, tearing up more of the ground, and landing a devastating hit on Kirby, from both the flail and large chunks of rubble that had been flung into the air. The little warrior cried out in pain as his Toxic ability was coughed up, along the pieces of the flask that had once contained the poisonous fire. A few chunks of rock and pavement pelted Kirby further while he was prone on the ground. The young warrior struggled just to get up. He was covered in fresh, open wounds, some of which were bleeding. Just that one hit had weakened him greatly.

"Kirby!" Knuckle Joe and Kautounie cried out in unison.

Every time one or the other would approach, Masher would block their path with a swing of his flail. Usually, if the oversized weapon didn't hit, the chunks of rocks and rubble would. However, during that time, Kirby got to his feet, although he wasn't entirely steady.

Kautounie felt a surge of energy run through her, that told the mage that Neo had finally found an opening to use a healing spell. Although she and Knuckle Joe were back to their normal vitality, Kirby was still quite weak, and with Tiff and a gang of demon beasts harassing Neo, Kautounie couldn't really ask for another. But then she got an idea. She flung a few magic missiles off to the side, nailing Tiff and the demon beasts surrounding Neo, then charged for Masher.

"Knuckle Joe, keep that thing distracted!" Kautounie barked.

"That wont be-" Knuckle Joe shouted back, cutting himself off when he had to dodge, "very hard!" he finally finished.

The smaller fighter kept Masher's focus on him, to give Kirby a chance to recover more. He had no idea what Kautounie was doing, only that she was trying to get close to the powerful beast.

"What are ya doin', furball?" Knuckle Joe hissed to himself.

"Poyo!" Kirby cried out in alarm as Masher's flail crushed through the pavement.

Thankfully, Knuckle Joe was only grazed by the attack, though there was a fresh new cut in his arm that was bleeding. Knuckle Joe ignored it, and sent another barrage of Vulcan Jabs paired with a few Spin Kicks.

"Hang on, Kirby!" Knuckle Joe shouted.

With Knuckle Joe keeping the monster's attention off of her, Kautounie was able to get close without it noticing. She had to be careful to avoid being stepped on. But, as she had observed from the battle, Masher was sturdy and could take a hit, however she, Knuckle Joe, and Kirby could run laps around it. Kautounie timed her leap, and once Masher's foot stomped into the ground, she sprang forward. Masher 2.0 halted it's attack against Knuckle Joe once Kautounie stabbed Defender into it's foot and twisted the blade. While she used the handle of the sword to hang on, Kautounie placed her other hand on Masher and started casting.

 _"_ _Serafina Siphon!"_ Kautounie howled.

Suddenly, Masher broke off it's attack and started seizing up. With clenched fangs, Kautounie drained as much strength from the powerful demon beast as she could. Masher 2.0 groaned loudly and swayed dangerously.

Geoffrey, who was still battling with Meta Knight, kicked his opponent out of his way just long enough to throw one of his knives at Kautounie. With what could only be described as a snarl, Meta Knight forced Geoffrey back into combat with him, but the possessed human knew that the damage had already been done.

Kautounie howled in shock and pain as something sharp pierced her shoulder from behind. With her spell broken off, Masher was free to move once again, though he was noticeably weakened. Snarling and cursing, Kautounie tore the knife out of her shoulder, and sliced through Masher 2.0's foot with her Defender before the beast could stomp her flat.

"Kirby, catch!" Kautounie shouted, sending a wave of the Masher's stolen energy towards the wounded pink fighter.

Kirby let to energy flow through his body and heal the remainder of his wounds. He crouched down and narrowed his eyes, vitality and fighting spirit restored.

Kautounie sprinted out from under Masher, ignoring the bleeding wound in her shoulder, and rejoined her companions.

"Kirby, think fast!" Knuckle Joe said, sending a Vulcan Jab Kirby's way.

Kirby used his inhale, the vortex heavily disrupting the remaining occultists that had been attacking Neo and Meta Knight alongside Tiff and Geoffrey. His body didn't change much, though he now wore the red headband that was signature of his Fighter ability.

"Lets bag this bastard!" Kautounie growled.

The three of them charged forward, Fighter Kirby and Knuckle Joe using Smash Punch, while Kautounie cast Magic Missile. Masher took every hit that was dished out, but it still kept on coming. However, it did look like they were making progress, and right now, Tiff was in no position to use a healing spell on it either, considering Neo had her on the ground at this very moment.

Once again, Masher 2.0 grabbed his flail by the chain and swung both ends around at high speed. With incredible brute force, the demon made it's strike, aiming for Knuckle Joe in particular. Knuckle Joe gritted his teeth and met the attack with a roundhouse, stopping the spiked ball part of the flail in it's tracks, though he had to duck in order to avoid being hit by the handle.

"Kirby, we've got to disarm that thing!" Kautounie shouted.

"Poyo! Roundhouse!" Fighter Kirby shouted, though instead of aiming at Masher 2.0 directly, he was aiming for it's weapon.

With graceful flourish, Kautounie split her Defender into two separate swords, and sliced through the chain that Kirby had already weakened. What was left of Masher's flail crashed to the ground.

"Nice-owwwww-job!" Knuckle Joe groaned, momentarily nursing his sore leg. (Come on, you're telling me kicking a giant flail ball wouldn't hurt?!)

Masher stopped in it's tracks. Weaponless, (or so it would seem), the monster spread it's large mechanical wings. The red gem in the center of Masher's chest started to glow with power as the beast began to lift off the ground, using jets concealed at the base of it's massive wings for flight. Knuckle Joe and Kirby instinctively knew what was coming next, though Kautounie still looked undaunted, even though her own blood was painting the ground around her red.

Out of Masher's chest, a powerful beam of plasma energy shot fourth, aiming right for the three of them, causing Kirby, Joe, and Kautounie to scatter.

"Holy shit!" Kautounie snarled.

"Poyo! Masher... weaker!" Kirby pointed out.

"He's right! Masher always saves his best attacks for last!" Knuckle Joe growled.

Before they could make their next battle plan, another beam of energy shot fourth. Knuckle Joe unleashed a Vulcan Jab, this one far more concentrated in power then the other ones he had been using, and even though it struck Masher, the energy beam was still well on it's way to it's intended target.

"Joe!" Kautounie shouted, conjuring a shield of ice around the fighter elf.

Very quickly, she began to strain from the pressure, whether because the beast was that powerful, or due to her wounds, or perhaps both, it could not be said for sure. But that, along with a powerful mixed martial arts assault from Kirby gave Knuckle Joe enough time to escape.

All three of them were getting tired again, but Masher was also greatly weakened. The time had finally come.

"Alright, Kirby! Kautounie! This is the third time Masher's been reconstructed. Lets make sure this his last!" Knuckle Joe growled.

"Poyo!" Fighter Kirby agreed.

Kautounie howled loudly, her voice carrying over the sounds of the battle raging around them. Then they charged, Kautounie with her Defender blades, Knuckle Joe and Kirby, focusing their power. Masher began firing his plasma beam much more quickly, getting sloppy in it's unseen panic. Once they were close enough, all three of them leaped into the air. Kautounie sliced through Masher's weakened armor with both blades, even damaging the gem in the center of it's chest. Knuckle Joe and Kirby finished the beast off with their most powerful attack.

"RISING BREAK!" Kirby and Knuckle Joe shouted together, preforming the massive uppercut.

Masher 2.0 began smoking and sparking uncontrollably after the three way attack, and was forced to the ground, breaking off one wing in the process. Knuckle Joe, Kirby, and Kautounie landed, panting heavily. The Masher still loomed above them, the sparks and smoke growing more and more fierce. It raised it's hand to attack, but then it stumbled forward, and began to glow with powerful energy.

"Poyo, poyo! It's not gonna stop!" Kirby warned.

Both Kirby and Knuckle Joe had to drag Kautounie away, which was easier considering her weakened state. She was resistant at first, considering in her mind, the battle was not finished while that thing was still alive. There was an uncomfortable pause, then Masher exploded, leaving quite a crater where it used to be. All that remained of the demon beast was smoke and ash.

"Kirby, we've done it again!" Knuckle Joe shouted, with more then just a hint of pride... yes, there was a hint of ego involved as well.

"Poyo, we have Kautoun-Kautounie this time!" Kirby chirped.

He glanced around for a moment. Where did Kautounie even go? Then Knuckle Joe spotted her, helping her wounded horse to his feet. Thankfully, Diesel could finally stand, though he would need a medic himself.

"Kirby's right about you, Kautounie! You know, for a furball, you hold your own in a fight very well!" Knuckle Joe snorted.

"Funny, I could say the same thing about you... elfie!" Kautounie answered, stroking Diesel's muzzle, "But this fight's not over yet!" she added, amber eyes staring straight ahead to where Neo and Meta Knight were.

*Meta Knight and Neo*

Right about now, Meta Knight was realizing just how grateful he was that Geoffrey was on his side... normally, anyway. So far, Meta Knight was having quite a bit of trouble with the rogue, though it might have had something to do with the fact that he was not trying to kill his possessed friend, even though Geoffrey was indeed trying to kill him. Of course, having a bullet lodged in his side wasn't exactly helping either.

"Geoffrey, I know you're in there!" Meta Knight shouted, narrowly avoiding being stabbed by Geoffrey's knives.

He parried with his own knife, then slashed with Galaxia, though he couldn't suppress his pained grunt. Geoffrey stopped for a moment, glancing at the damage done to his coat. Some things never change, as the human was still quite vain about the condition of his leather duster. There was a small trickle of blood coming through the cut, meaning Meta Knight's blade had cut through the kevlar vest underneath and into the skin.

"Listen to me!" the Star Warrior pleaded, "I know this is not of your doing! I know you don't want to do this!"

Geoffrey started his attack again, then he froze, like he was fighting someone mentally rather then physically. Even the fight raging with Masher in the background couldn't snap him out. While Geoffrey was having a mental war with some unseen force, Meta Knight took the opportunity to cut down more occultists and their demon beasts as they closed in.

"Geoffrey!" Meta Knight called.

"Meta... Knight... it's... Ronic..." the rogue rasped, "Help me."

Suddenly, the thief cried out in pain, dropping one of his knives and holding onto his head. Meta Knight approached, and quickly found that to be a mistake. In a flash, Geoffrey drew another dagger and slashed right across Meta Knight's forehead, leaving a heavily bleeding wound and obscuring the elder warrior's vision.

"Sir Meta Knight!" Neo cried out.

She hissed loudly as Tiff cracked Wicked at her again. Neo grabbed hold of the whip with telekinetic force, then used it to pull the girl to the ground. Tiff struggled to her feet, and started to cast another healing spell, on herself and the surrounding demon beasts.

"Oh no you don't!" Neo muttered, pouncing from where she was, right on top of Tiff, disrupting the casting.

Neo was about to start using teeth and claws, but then she remembered that they needed Tiff and Geoffrey to be alive when this was over. She yelped when Tiff took a swing at her with her fist, then grabbed the knife off of her belt. Neo chanced a glance to where her sister and other companions battled with Masher, then back to Tiff and the religious hooligans that were closing in.

Knowing what was going to befall her, Neo cast her own Group Healing spell, which restored health and vitality to her current allies, though she didn't look entirely happy with the results. Kirby still wasn't looking to great, and she gave herself a mental reminder that she would need to pry that bullet out of Meta Knight. However, she was unhappier still, when about four demon beasts surrounded her, jaws gnashing.

"Wanna play rough, huh?!" Neo challenged, summoning a brilliant flash of fire in the face of one attacker, causing the creature to yelp in pain.

She wouldn't be able to get away with that with the three hell hounds though. But luckily, Neo didn't have too. Kautounie had sent a wave of Magic Missiles across the battlefield, targeting the remaining beasts and Tiff. Neo could thank her sister later. Right now she had to make sure that Tiff, in her possessed state, didn't undo all of Kirby's, Joe's, and Kautounie's hard work... again. The young girl was recovering from the blindsided attack, though she still looked a bit dazed. For a second, her eyes lost that glazed over sheen, and she gave Neo a pleading look.

"Neo... help us...AHHHHHHH!" Tiff screamed, suddenly doubling over in pain.

"Tiff!" Neo cried out, her worry for her friend greater then her worry about being attacked again.

The Redsun flinched, if only slightly, when Tiff looked up to her, panting heavily and once again with that glazed over, possessed gaze.

"Oh crap." she sighed, realizing that this was going to take a much more direct approach.

Meanwhile, Geoffrey and Meta Knight still dueled, well, Meta Knight was, anyway. Geoffrey was just trying to kill his opponent by any means; back stab, going for the throat, even going as low as to throw sand in Meta Knight's eyes. The old warrior grunted in pain, knocking away the knife Geoffrey wielded, then slapped the rogue with the flat of his sword.

"And I thought you fought less then honorably when you were yourself!" Meta Knight growled.

In his possessed state, Geoffrey just shrugged, then quick as a flash, drop kicked the smaller warrior. A subtle, delighted smirk crossed the human's face. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he could see Masher, and that the beast had quite a large problem to deal with. So, while Meta Knight was regaining his footing, Geoffrey flipped one of his daggers around in the air, holding the small, enchanted weapon by the blade.

"Geoffrey, no!" Meta Knight shouted, lunging forward.

To late. The rogue had already thrown the knife, and it landed a hit too, right in Kautounie's shoulder. Without warning, Geoffrey began seizing up again, then quivered violently as he reached into his coat to pull out another weapon.

"Meta... Knight... run!" Geoffrey rasped.

He screamed in pain, like something was torturing him mentally, then grabbed his usual oversized handgun, pointing it directly at Meta Knight and pulled the trigger.

Instinct taking over, Meta Knight transformed his cape into wings, and took off into the air. The blue puffball dodged gracefully, and any that weren't dodged, he blocked with expertly executed sword swings.

On Neo's end of the battle, she was having her own troubles. Tiff sent a blinding Dazzle right into Neo's face, causing her to yelp in surprise and step back. When the possessed apprentice mage moved to strike again, Neo caught her off guard. Sure, she couldn't see, but she could still hear and smell Tiff. Snarling, the zwetoock tackled Tiff to the ground, swatting with an open paw every time she felt the girl move underneath her or try to cast a spell.

Neo and Meta Knight fought as hard as they could to keep their two friends subdued. Meta Knight caught an opening and knocked Geoffrey's pistol out of his hand, though he was guessing that if the crafty thief had his own mind, he would not have been so easily foiled. Both sides continued the fight, until each one of them started to show signs of fatigue. As the battle continued, Tiff eventually squirmed free of Neo's grasp, spitting and hissing all the way.

Suddenly, the battle was broken off by several loud noises, and the Masher collapsing to the ground, followed by an intense explosion. Well, one major problem was taken care of.

Geoffrey and Tiff both picked up their weapons and prepared to attack again, then paused and looked towards the ruined hanger, as if someone was calling them, then broke off running. Meta Knight was about to give chase, though he quickly thought twice once Geoffrey tossed him a grenade... that didn't have the pin in it.

"Uh-oh." Meta Knight muttered, beating his wings as fast as he could, while giving Neo a shout.

Neo let out a startled bark, then summoned her shield of ice, which lasted long enough to protect her from the blast. However, it gave Geoffrey and Tiff enough time to escape.

"Meta Knight! Are you -cough- okay?" the zwetoock healer asked, choking on the smoke.

"I'm... urghhh... fine, Neo." Meta Knight answered, still holding onto his side as his amber gaze dulled momentarily, "Come, let us join the others."

Meanwhile...

"No! Damn it! How did they kill my Masher 2.0 and defeat my perfect slaves?!" Ronic whined, pounding his fist against Bruno's shin, thus only hurting his hand, "Geoffrey, Tiff, get back here!"

At his mental order, the enslaved rogue and mage broke off from the fight and fled, dropping an extra "present" along the way.

"You saw it, honey. Maybe that damn thing is overrated." Daisy sighed.

"Yeah, well I've still got the Masher and a little something else that ain't so overrated!"

Daisy looked concerned, like she wanted to let Ronic know something but was afraid to tell him, "Darlin', about that, you need to know-" she began.

"All I need to know is that they'll be calling me master by the time I'm through with them!" Ronic shouted, maniacally.

"Masher ? Where?" Bruno asked, looking around.

Both Ronic and Daisy looked at each other, then let out simultaneous exasperated sighs. Before the plate mail gorilla could ask any more dumb questions, the two of them led Bruno back into the ruined hanger and removed the rubble from on top of the trap door, then scurried down the stairwell, followed by Geoffrey and Tiff as they retreated from the fight on their master's command.

"Hmhmh! I'm in too deep now! They'll never take me alive, dead, or otherwise!" Ronic muttered to himself.

"Ronic, hun-!" Daisy insisted.

"Back off, bitch! You're ruining my epic moment! Just when the good guys think they have me beat, I whip out somethin' they'll never see coming! Muahahahahaaaaaaaaa!"

"Hmmm, wish I knew where this Masher was. We could use him right about now." Bruno sighed.

 **IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~**

Once Meta Knight and Neo had regrouped with the others, Kirby was the first to greet them. Naturally, he was quite beat up, but it was nothing Neo couldn't fix.

"Did you see where they went?" Kautounie asked.

"Towards the hanger." Meta Knight answered, a sharp rasp impeding his normally silky voice.

Relieved that his mentor was alright, Kirby warmly nuzzled against him, but was shocked when Meta Knight ducked back, groaning in pain. At Kirby's worried expression, the elder warrior assured him that he was just fine, though the look in his eyes told a different story. However, he was still all set to go charging into that hanger. This did not go unnoticed by Neo.

"No Sir Meta Knight, you can't!" Neo growled, "That bullet is still inside your body."

"Wait a minute, what about that healing spell or whatever mumbo jumbo you furballs use?" Knuckle Joe questioned.

"Poyo, Neo?" Kirby added on, giving the young healer a worried look.

"I healed the wound, but I couldn't exactly remove the bullet while being mauled by demon beasts and Tiff." Neo explained, "However, I warn you, Meta Knight, this will hurt."

Meta Knight had a brief look of confusion, which quickly twisted into pain as Neo reached out with her hand and ripped the bullet out with a jolt of telekinetic force, then cured the reopened wound with a Group Heal, curing the rest of the team and even Diesel as well.

"You might have given me more warning, but I understand how zwetoock healers operate." Meta Knight groaned, giving Kirby a reassuring pat on the back.

Kirby turned to Neo and sighed.

"What? It worked, didn't it?" she asked, holding up the bullet.

Meta Knight let out a low grumble. He couldn't help but think that this was Neo's way at getting back at him after what happened in Portside's Clinic. However, that discussion could wait for a later time.

"Did you find out what was wrong with Tiff and Geoffrey, by any chance?" Kautounie asked, while reloading her shotgun, "Other then the fact that they were aiding the enemy."

"Yes, they were under some sort of Charming Curse, and a well cast one at that." Neo explained.

"Come to think of it, while I dueled with Geoffrey, he slipped out of the spell's control just long enough to warn me about Ronic." Meta Knight added.

Of course! Garna had warned them all about Ronic. They may not have gotten any details, but she did mention that he and his bodyguard, Bruno were quite dangerous.

"They can't have gotten far!" Knuckle Joe growled, narrowing his gaze towards the hanger, "Masher was a lot tougher then I remembered, but once he was dead, I saw some other people hangin' around that wreckage, just watchin' the show!"

"Then why are we standing around here talking about it?" Kautounie growled, giving her shotgun a sold pump before striding forward.

"I quite agree!" Meta Knight growled, flicking the thick, sticky blood off Galaxia.

As the five of them briskly trotted towards the hanger wreckage, there was a rumbling and movement beneath their feet, like something large was stirring underground. Diesel reared up and fled from the airfield as fast as he could, then the ground began to slide into itself silently, revealing a much bigger underground base. The dead bodies that littered the sliding tarmac were dumped unceremoniously onto the floor below.

"What the-?" Knuckle Joe grumbled.

"How did we miss that?!" Kautounie asked.

The team made it to the burnt wreckage, just as the incredibly large concealed panels had finished moving. There wasn't much time to pause and take a breather. The sounds of powerful engines igniting filled the morning desert air. Meta Knight and Kirby both perked up, keenly aware of the one ship that sounded like that. Before they could even say anything, the Halberd lifted out of the concealed hanger, hovering over Harmony, casting it's shadow over the small, now abandoned town.

"Well, at least we found it, Meta Knight." Neo said, shrugging.

Meta Knight was beyond outraged. His ship was right under their feet this entire time?! It was more outrageous still, once he heard a loud, obnoxious voice calling to the entire group from down in the hanger bay.

"HEY! WHERE ARE YA?! COME DOWN HERE SO WE CAN HAVE A LITTLE HEART TO HACK!" Ronic's voice bellowed.

Kirby trotted out of the wreckage, and stared over the edge of the gigantic hole that was once the airfield's runway. He could see a computer monitor, a large one, that was left on. There was a halfling, dressed in black, the one he recognized as Ronic, even though he hadn't really seen him in person.

"Poyo, poyo!" Kirby cried out, frantically pointing.

Meta Knight silently drifted over to where Kirby was pointing, his eyes perverting angry red. He recognized that voice all to well. Though to be fair, it grated more on his ears then Nightmare's voice.

"Hey, over here!" Knuckle Joe called, as he and the sisters managed to pry open the trap door.

"I think these stairs lead down into that hanger!" Neo called.

"What makes you say that?" Meta Knight asked.

"Eh... call it a hunch."

While Knuckle Joe and the girls took the concealed stairwell, Meta Knight unexpectedly grabbed Kirby, causing him to let out a squeak of surprise. Then the elder warrior spread his wings and drifted down, though not before glaring back up to his ship. Oddly enough, it hadn't gone anywhere, it was just circling above the town, almost like Ronic was taunting him. Meta Knight wasn't saying anything, but he would be sure to give that little lunatic a good beating, considering what he had done to his ship and possibly done to the crew, Tiff, and Geoffrey.

"Poyo, Medi Kni?!" Kirby squeaked out, feeling his master's grip tighten uncomfortably.

"What? Oh, my apologies, little one." Meta Knight said, realizing that he was unintentionally hurting his smaller apprentice.

Down below, the two Star Warriors met up with the rest of the team. Meta Knight set Kirby down, then began rooting through the now abandoned base. Amongst the dead bodies of the occultists that had been dumped when the giant panels moved, they found Marshal and Mildred. Kautounie only smirked. Judging by the bullet wounds and where they were, it must have been Geoffrey's work. Perhaps that's way Ronic Charmed him instead of outright killing him. The only question, how did that psycho get to both Tiff and Geoffrey in the first place?

"I'M WAITING!" Ronic shouted, catching everyone's attention.

All five of them approached the monitor screen, growing angrier when the little halfling only smiled triumphantly, showing off Geoffrey, Tiff, Sword, Blade, King Dedede, Escargoon, and Tuff like they were his personal trophies. At his side was the hulking human, Bruno, and of all people, Daisy. She had an ugly scowl on her face, one Meta Knight knew he had seen before, but not from her directly. In the background were several Waddle Dees working on different consoles, though in all honesty, they looked like they would rather be elsewhere.

"Ah, there you all are! You pains in my ass!" Ronic began, "Like my new ride? It's big, it's bold, and it's sassy! Hmhmhmmm, you do good work, Meta Knight, I'll say! You certainly have taste, damn you!"

"Enough, what have you done with my companions and crew?!" Meta Knight demanded.

"The same damn thing I'm gonna do with you!" the nutcase cackled.

"I'd like to see you try, shortie!" Knuckle Joe shouted.

Ronic just began laughing and snorting loudly, earning some confused looks from Bruno and Daisy.

"Oh my little puffballs and critters! You have no idea who you're screwing with!" Ronic snickered, tapping his fingers together in a most sinister way, "Everyone behind me thought they could take me. Now, they'll do whatever I tell them too! As for this lovely bit-I-I mean my assistant, I'm sure you're familiar with the Prescotts."

Kautounie and Neo looked to each other, then back to the screen. Daisy's face twisted from a scowl to a smile in a matter of seconds.

"That's where I've seen it before!" Meta Knight growled.

"Poyo! Riley!" Kirby said, angrily.

"Only half right, cutie. Ironic, considering Lady Riley is my half sister!" Daisy bragged.

That explained a lot. It would certainly explain why Geoffrey would have shot her parents, and more importantly, why she was keeping such a close watch on them.

"Wait, they're the enemy? Awww, but they're all so cute, especially the little pink guy." Bruno cooed, horribly off subject.

Ronic launched into one of his temper tantrums, flailing about and slapping his much taller counterpart and kicking him a few times, "GAHHHH! Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP! They are not cute! They are the enemy, got it?"

"Is this guy for real?" Kautounie whispered.

"Well, he took Meta Knight's ship!" Knuckle Joe answered back, "Seems pretty real to me."

"I'd like to find out how, exactly!" Meta Knight muttered.

"Honey... they're waiting." Daisy sighed.

After beating the message into Bruno, well, at least pretending to beat the message into Bruno, Ronic calmed down, at least enough to deliver his speech, "Ahem, where was I? Oh yes. I'm far to cleaver for the likes of you cute, cuddly kennnnnnnighits! How ironic is it that the ship, you, Sir Lancelot," Ronic ranted, pointing an accusing finger at Meta Knight, "Designed and built, shall now be used as the flag ship of Holy Nightmare's armada. Praise Holy Nightmare, for he shall lead us to glory! Praise Riley Prescott, for she has much prettier legs!"

Er, come to think of it, Nightmare didn't really have any legs, just a swirling vortex and void under that cloak of his. At least now they were learning why Garna had warned them about this lunatic. He had done the impossible. He made Garna Riverdale look perfectly stable!

"Ronic... you're insane!" Kautounie said.

"Maybe so! But I'm through chatting with you cuddly kennnnnighits! Time to set sail! Sword Knight, Blade Knight, take us out!" Ronic ordered, "Take us out... any time now."

Ronic smiled triumphantly, but then his heart sank when he realized that he wasn't going anywhere. Instead, all they heard was the same sort of noise you hear when a car has trouble starting, on a much larger scale, of course.

"What's wrong with this thing? Lets move it! Up, men, up! Come on you guys! What the f*** is wrong with it?!" Ronic blathered.

"Darlin', I told you!" Daisy pointed out, "At least I tried to and you wouldn't listen! We ain't goin' anywhere but in a circle, not until the control panel Bruno sat on gets fixed up!"

"What?!" Ronic shouted.

"Excuse me?!" Meta Knight demanded.

"Poyo, poyo?" Kirby asked, scratching his head.

"We've still got some functions, but others got all scrambled when the darlin' landmass took a seat right here!" Daisy explained, pointing to where Sword, Blade, and two Waddle Dees were frantically working.

"Fix it damn it! FIX IT! GAHHHHHHH!" Ronic shouted, right before the screen went to static.

Bad news, Ronic had the Halberd, plus the entire crew and passengers under his Charming Curse, as well as an impervious bodyguard and Riley's half sister under his command. Good news, they weren't going anywhere anytime soon. But getting up to the Halberd would be a problem.

"I can get up there!" Meta Knight snarled, unfurling his wings.

"Wait Meta Knight! We can't all fly!" Knuckle Joe pointed out.

"He's right. Kirby may be light enough for you to carry, but Sundar only knows how many demon beasts are skulking about on your ship!" Neo pointed out, "You'll need help."

Meta Knight kept his wings folded... for now, albeit grudgingly, while they scrounged around for anything that they could use. Unfortunately, the scout ship upstairs was far to badly mauled and mangled to use, and there was nothing else available, nothing usable, anyway. Everyone met upstairs to report their findings, which was a whole lot of nothing.

Kautounie snarled in frustration, tail lashing as she gazed up to the sky. Her ears perked when she heard something coming from inside her pocket. In the heat of all the battles, she had forgotten that Geoffrey had given her the Xtransiear before he left!

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped, unable to settle down..

"Oh by the will of the Great Dragon, please be Garna, please be-oh." Kautounie muttered as she pulled the device from her pocket, realizing that it was Dr. Knarks.

"Great. What does that walkin' freak show want?" Knuckle Joe snorted.

Meta Knight only groaned. Right now, Dr. Knarks was the last person he wanted to deal with at this time. He put a gloved hand on Kirby, if only to stop his anxious pacing, then motioned for Kautounie to answer.

"Doctor, what a pleasure." Kautounie sighed, clearly not to thrilled about looking into the draconian visage on the screen.

"Oh, did I call at a bad time?" Dr. Knarks asked.

"Depends on how you look at it." Meta Knight grumbled.

At the draconian's confused look, Kautounie held out the Xtransiear so that Dr. Knarks could see all the dead bodies down below in the concealed hanger, then pointed it up so he could get a good look at the Halberd.

"Ahem, I see." the draconian said, disguising his voice with a fake cough, "That must be the Halberd, then?"

"How did you know? We never told you anything, other then it was missing!" Meta Knight growled, his eyes glowing red.

"My good Sir Meta Knight, the great big mask up front was sort of a giveaway, to be honest."

Meta Knight didn't have an answer for that one. He sighed heavily and lowered his head.

"Poyo, Medi Kni. We get Halberd back." Kirby said, trying his best to comfort his distraught mentor.

"Where's Tiff and Geoffrey?" Dr. Knarks asked. "I was kind of hoping to see those two again. One's destructive and the other, a medic like myself, just with sass."

Kautounie quickly explained the situation, though she couldn't help but notice a change in Dr. Knarks' posture when Ronic and Bruno were mentioned, as well as the enslavement of Tiff, Geoffrey, and the Halberd's crew.

"Ronic? You're dealing with Ronic Shadowchoker?! Good grief, man! What the hell were you thinking?! That little gremlin has incredible influence over the minds of others! Considering his social skills, it's quite shocking, I know. Why do you think I kept the twit as far from my asylum as I could? Anyway, looks like you'll be in need of my assistance. You see, I gave my favorite band of freedom fighters a buzz because my first Celestial Beast has been completed." Dr. Knarks sighed.

Now everyone's interest was perked.

"Wait a sec, you've really been makin' monsters!? I though that was just Garna bein' weird!" Knuckle Joe balked.

"What else would I be doing?" Dr. Knarks asked, "Besides perfecting my biscuit recipe, of course."

Knuckle Joe looked like he wanted to give Dr. Knarks more then just a tongue lashing.

"Cool it!" Neo barked, before any arguments broke out.

At this time, the right kind of Celestial Beast could be quite useful. Key words, 'the right kind'.

"Dr. Knarks, please tell me that it's something that's big and can fly!" Neo pleaded.

The draconian doctor smiled beneath his mask, letting out a low, sinister laugh.

"Big and can fly? Oh, I don't think you'll be disappointed, my princess. As a matter of fact, I think you'll all be impressed with my new friend. Now then, you wouldn't happen to have a monster transporter nearby, would you?"

Everyone in the group looked at each other.

"As a matter of fact..." Meta Knight mused, a cleaver smirk concealed behind his own mask.

::TO BE CONTINUED::

 **Author's Notes::** Whew, what a nice little war our heroes have gotten themselves into! The Masher 2.0 has been destroyed, and if you didn't want to know that, then you should have read the story first before skipping to the description, now shouldn't you? Ahem, anyways, Kirby and co have survived their bout with the Masher and their own friends, but how will they contend with Meta Knight's own battleship, the Halberd, while under the command of a complete lunatic? Ironic though, ain't it, that Bruno would be the one to screw things up?

On a side note, I bet you thought I had forgotten all about the good doctor. Didn't you? What happens next is inevitable... ha... ha... ha... Can anyone guess what sort of creature Dr. Knarks has made? Think about it... big and has wings, could be any number of things, really. By the way, you know that Ronic must be nasty if someone like Dr. Knarks doesn't want to go around messing with him. *nods*

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	27. Meta Knight's Revenge Part 1

In You're Nightmares, Meta Knight's Revenge, part 1

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and the Offhanded Chance that Awesome Jazz Music will be Playing in the Back of your Mind.

*The Badlands, Bloodtooth Territory*

Once was enough, Dusk realized. Once was enough to dodge Garna Riverdale and her annoying Wolfwrath, that was. Hardly anyone survived a second round with her let alone the first. The bounty hunter's thoughts ran through his head at a rapid rate as he soared over the barren, cold, rocky wastelands that the Bloodtooth pack called home, if only because they had no choice. Dusk swooped down once the camp was in sight, and thankfully, his small spaceship was right where he had left it. Good thing too, he would need it to get a hold of Holy Nightmare out here. Bloodtooths weren't exactly big on technology.

The Bloodtooth camp was made up of ragged tents, many of which were decorated with bones, black and red beads, scrawny raven feathers, and the pack's sigil, a terrible demon with great red canine fangs, on the slopes of the Dead Mountain. Just outside the camp were large wooden posts, with years' worth of dried blood staining them, that had skulls and even full bodies of various animals, goblinoids, and even other zwetoocks, along with armor that was undoubtedly from the G.S.A. tied to them. The only animals that braved the campsite were the crows and ravens, enjoying the free meal or rotting scraps left out for them. There was a foul stench hanging in the air, and he quickly noticed that it was coming from the pit near the largest and most important looking tent, which was covering the entrance to a cave in the mountainside.

"Hmph, best these animals can do, I suppose." Dusk mused quietly to himself, looking down on the dead bodies of various races and creatures piled up in the pit, also being picked apart by crows.

That would be the food supply for the Bloodtooth that week, then. From below, the mangy and rough looking zwetoocks spotted Dusk and howled, signaling his arrival. The bounty hunter smirked to himself. These creatures may have been primitive, but having an entire pack of these things in your pocket was not a bad idea. Dusk swooped overhead, kicking up dust and rocks as he flew by. He slowed down, landing neatly on a boulder near his ship and turned his raven wings back into his cape.

His ship wasn't the most impressive, but many Star Warriors had learned to fear it in the past. The Tormentor, as he had named it, was black as coal, had two short wings, each one with three deceivingly powerful engines, and a tapering tail for stability during flight. Every gun and weapon was hidden seamlessly.

Dusk tapped on the side once, and the door slid into itself without making a sound, though he soon found that he was not alone. Two zwetoocks approached him, one; a brutal looking male, covered in old scars, and afflicted with the first signs of mange. He didn't wear much, save for a many black and red feathers and a few pieces of tribal jewelry, the most noticeable of which was a necklace, made of claws and teeth, with a replica on Nightmare's medallion in the center. The brute's mate, seemed to have been in her fair share of battles, as one of her blood red eyes was completely missing, with several scars over the empty socket. She too, wore many black and red feathers in her scarlet mane and on her jewelry, though she also wore a starry cloak along with her gold and ruby medallion, as Nightmare did. In her hand, she carried a wooden staff, topped with a grotesque, taloned hand, which held what one might assume was pure black magic in it's raw form. Dusk only smiled, knowing full well that Ashiega Bloodtooth was one of three High Clerics of the Order of Holy Nightmare, "Why, Alphess Ashiega, Alpha Amon! Your majesties!" he greeted, bowing politely.

Alpha Amon only growled, flattening his ears and showing his yellowing fangs, until Ashiega calmed him with a soothing touch to his back. The Bloodtooth alpha pair said nothing, however they were more then accepting of Dusk's offer to come aboard his ship.

The Tormentor wasn't much on the inside either, one half was the cockpit, the other half was a small cargo hold, in which half of that was taken up by a cramped looking, cage-like cell.

"Hmph, these metal birds you others use..." Ashiega grunted with disdain, "An Alpha only needs a strong demon beast."

"Yes, but last I recall, I'm neither zwetoock nor an alpha. However, I'd like to see a demon beast contact Holy Nightmare, my queen." Dusk retorted, tapping a few keys on the panel at the front of the cockpit.

"She is not a queen, she is alphess!" Amon growled dangerously, "Greater than queen."

"Pardon me, your majesty..." Dusk said, fighting as hard as he could to keep his cool, "My alphess, then."

Being ever the gentleman, Dusk let the alphess take the one seat in the ship. Static began to fill the once blank screen covering the main window, startling Alpha Amon.

"Easy now, your majesty. It's just like the sorcery your alphess uses." the bounty hunter explained smoothly, knowing full well that that was the only possible way to explain technology to such a primitive creature.

Once the static cleared, the image of Nightmare appeared, sitting in his throne. He didn't look entirely happy, though his mood lifted when he saw the alpha pair bow down to him, praising in the zwetoock tongue.

 _"_ _Deva Noirdomak!"_ Amon and Ashiega said at once, performing a small ritualistic hand gesture.

"Well, what a greeting. And here I was thinking it was that idiot Ronic again." Nightmare mused.

"Like it, Deva Noirdomak? It's the name the Bloodtooth call you, Your Grace." Dusk explained, "It means 'Holy Bringer of Darkness'."

Nightmare's face twisted back into a frown when his eyes fell on Dusk, "You! What do you want? Riley told me all about what you pulled, bounty hunter. Tell me, did you capture them? If not, get out there and do your job!"

"I wouldn't fully trust that wench, if I were you, Your Grace." Dusk snorted.

"Riley the Chimera is the one who brought our lord and master back from his grave!" Alphess Bloodtooth pointed out, "She has many praises from the Bloodtooth and beyond."

"You let me worry about Riley!" Nightmare hissed, "Now then, as delightful as I find your company, Alphess Bloodtooth, I would like to speak to my associate in private."

Without question, the alphess stood up beside her mate and bowed, "As the _Deva Noirdomak_ commands!"

Dusk watched as the alpha pair left, though he was quick to tell them with a hand signal that he'd be finished in a minute or two. Once alone, Nightmare verbally tore into the gray batamon.

"Nothing then?! Why don't I mutilate you into a demon beast?! Maybe then I can get some use out of you!"

"Oh, you mean like what you did to Sir Jecra... or a certain Tragong Knarks?" Dusk questioned, earning a venomous snarl from the deity, "Really, how well has that been working out for you?"

"You go to far, Dusk!"

"Forgive me, Your Grace, I must have misunderstood. All this time, I thought you'd really like to get one step ahead of that little shit who is constantly making you're funding run a constant string of zeros." Dusk sighed, moving to cancel communications.

"Wait!" Nightmare snapped, his interest perked.

Dusk smirked, knowing he had Nightmare right where he wanted him. The wraith lord was powerful, but there were some things even he could not resist.

"Go on, then." Nightmare insisted, folding his hands together.

"I've found where her base is! Right in the City of Thea'or, here on Horva. Apparently the spies you previously sent were the ones who never came back, am I right?" Dusk asked.

"Come to think of it, yes." Nightmare mused.

"Hmhm, you see, in Thea'or's Thieves' District, those who spy and blab tend to have short lifespans. Not to mention there are no maps or charts listed anywhere, possibly because Garna has deleted them all and burned any hard copies. As far as most people are concerned, the Thieves' District doesn't even exist! But I know she's there, in a rather lively and lavish little place called The Knight Club. Perhaps it's time to take this little war of yours up another notch, then?" Dusk suggested.

Holy Nightmare remained quiet for some time, then he began laughing. Thea'or! It was obvious, but he had thought a little to obvious. Apparently not. Monsters and occultists plaguing the roads and small towns was no longer enough to slake his insatiable thirst for the blood of his enemies. The time had come to launch a full scale assault. His fleet was nearly ready and troops rallied, all they needed was his command.

"Your Grace, before I leave you to your plotting, and whatever else it is that you do in your spare time," Dusk said, saying the last part in a low mumble, "The Alphess Bloodtooth and her mate would very much like an audience with you."

"Very well." Nightmare hissed, "Show her majesty in."

Dusk whistled sharply, then called out in the zwetoock tongue. Ashiega and Amon swept inside gracefully, and took a knee.

 _"_ _Deva Noirdomak!"_ they said in unison.

"Arise, faithful ones!" Nightmare ordered.

"Lord of shadow and darkness, accept our offering!" Amon growled.

"May the strength of sun, moon, and stars become yours once again! We give to you, _Deva Noirdomak,_ the flesh, blood, and living sorcery of the enemy." Ashiega proclaimed, holding out her arms in praise.

"Sounds most interesting." Nightmare hissed, showing his own jagged teeth as he grinned, "I accept!"

The alpha pair bowed again, chanting in the zwetoock tongue, before leaving.

"Very well, then. Dusk, continue with your hunt, though remain alert for my commands, which shall be soon, I assure you!" Nightmare ordered.

Dusk just smiled, "Indeed I shall. I suppose while I wait, I'll continue to oversee the reconstruction of Felldersai Taa here in the Badlands. You'll need a place to keep all your captured rebels and star warriors. Have fun, Your Grace... out."

And with that, the communications were canceled. Dusk returned to the Bloodtooth pack, rationing out some supplies he had taken from his journey. All the while, plans and plots of his own began forming in his head. Perhaps if he couldn't get the drop on his prey, then maybe he'd have to bring the prey to him. And if he knew anything about the Bloodtooth, they NEVER passed up an opportunity to make life hell for the Redsuns.

"It's all so easy when you're evil." Dusk sighed to himself, delighting in the spectacle of two Bloodtooth cubs tearing into each other for a single slice of beef jerky he had thrown in between them.

"So, if all holds true, you fly your metal bird-" Alphess Bloodtooth began.

"Ship, your majesty, ship." Dusk corrected, "And yes, I fly for Felldersai Taa tonight."

Alphess Bloodtooth grinned. Felldersai Taa, also known by outsiders as Demonhold Prison or Fortress of the Damned, had become home to many undead and demonic fell. It resided within the Badlands, on top of the Sharp Peaks, surrounded by the Wight Lake. Rumor had it, that when demon beasts and the truly evil were destroyed, that's where their dark souls went, at least according to Bloodtooth lore. The abandoned keep, once deemed worthless having been raised to ruins by Horvian dragons during the Great Wars, was being rebuilt by Nightmare's forces into the stronghold that it once was. Alphess Bloodtooth's second daughter, Miachang, already resided within it's walls, along with several other Bloodtooths Dusk had been "borrowing." After all, if he was to go after such dangerous prey, he would need a sturdy place to keep his guests entertained, if one could ever call it that.

"May the grace of _Deva Noirdomak_ fly with you, Gray One!" Alphess Bloodtooth bid, turning away to watch the fight between the two cubs that Dusk had started, "Just what is it that you plan to do?"

"Isn't it obvious, your majesty?" Dusk snorted, "I plan to capture stars and dragons!"

*Nightmare's Game Board*

Meanwhile, Holy Nightmare retreated to his game board, most curious about this 'gift' of flesh and living sorcery his High Cleric claimed to have gifted him with. He quickly noticed that Kirby's piece as well as those of the other members of his team were annoyingly close to the Halberd. Nightmare knew he would have to choose his next moves carefully. But way off to the side, was a brand new piece on the board, this one quite large. Nightmare grinned evilly, rubbing his hands with anticipation. The figure resembled a Horvian Dragon, bound in red chains, and it appeared to be badly wounded, dying even. With a wave of Nightmare's hand, the game board vanished, and was replaced with the vast emptiness of space, and instead of facing a figure, Nightmare stood before the real creature.

Even in it's horrid state, the dragon in question was magnificent, with sleek blue horns and spines highlighting shining golden scales. A Golden Moondancer. On closer inspection, he found the dragon to be a female, and as Nightmare had concluded, she was indeed, badly injured. The dragon glared up at the deity with her serpentine eyes and let out a low, rumbling growl. As he got closer, the Moondancer snarled, loosening a stream of molten flames from her maw. Nightmare laughed, flicking away the blaze like it was nothing.

"It's been a while since I've had one of your kind. Welcome to Nightmare Enterprises!" Nightmare hissed, placing a single talon on one of her wounds, "Are you injured, my dear? Have some of this!"

The dragon roared loudly, spitting out a cloud of smoke and flames. Nightmare only laughed, wrapping his cloak around himself as his evil sorcery spread throughout the powerful creature, turning her golden scales black.

"Sundar, father... save me!" she whimpered, before completely succumbing to the curse afflicted upon her.

"Not even he can save you now!" Nightmare cackled, evilly.

*Harmony, Warehouse, Monster Transporter Unit*

As per Dr. Knarks' promise of his first Celestial Beast, Kirby and his team sprinted for the Monster Transporter faster then a jack rabbit on a date. Once inside the warehouse, Meta Knight and Kirby both began fiddling with knobs and pressing buttons while Knuckle Joe checked the machine for any damage that may have been dealt during the fight. Thankfully they knew what they were doing, at least they appeared to be. Kautounie and Neo hung back and let the Dreamlanders work. Those two may have been able to bring the wrath of nature down upon their enemies with a thought and flick of the hand, but they were often confused by machines more complicated then a microwave oven or television set. Usually Geoffrey was the one to figure these things out.

"Poyo, poyo, Medi Kni?" Kirby asked.

"No, no, turn it the other way!" Meta Knight instructed.

Once little Kirby saw the light, he did as his mentor had told him, and the machine roared to life.

"How do you know how to work this thing, exactly?" Neo asked, "I thought these things were only for Nightmare Enterprises' army or the highest paying customers."

"King Dedede has one hidden in his throne room!" Meta Knight explained with a chuckle, "He fits into the 'highest paying customers', or at least he was. Every so often, Kirby and I would borrow it for our own uses!"

Of course! How silly of Neo.

"You're all set!" Knuckle Joe announced, giving a thumbs up.

"Alright, doctor, now what?" Kautounie asked, holding out the Xtransiear so Dr. Knarks could see the Monster Transporter.

Their mad doctor didn't say anything at first, then he broke out into his mad scientist laugh, "Let the magic begin! I just know you ladies and gents will all get along famously! Larry, Darrel, and Darrel, commence download!"

Kautounie's and Neo's ears perked up at the sound of a strange, song-like call coming from the background in Dr. Knarks' lab. But it was quickly covered up by all sorts of foul language and the sound of claws scrapping on stone floors.

"Boss, that stupid animal is tryin' to eat me!" Nasher squeaked, scurrying up onto his master's shoulder, shuddering.

"He always over exaggerates these things," Dr. Knarks sighed, running a single finger down his wererat's back.

Through the Xtransiear, loud sparks and zaps could be heard, and faint, electrical light illuminated the mad doctor's face. Then their high jacked monster transporter started up as the download neared it's completion. Kirby and his team had no idea what to expect; Dr. Knarks wasn't telling them what he was sending, claiming that it's so much more fun when it's a surprise. Meta Knight, having good reason not to fully trust the draconian, kept his hand on Galaxia's hilt. Kautounie and Neo watched with fascination, though they both covered their eyes when a bright flash illuminated the warehouse.

"What... the... hell...?" Knuckle Joe said, with a pause in between each word.

"Poyo? Bird?" Kirby asked, tilting his head quizzically.

It wasn't like any bird Kirby had ever seen before. Well, there was the possible acceptation of Dyna Blade. Meta Knight still wasn't sure what to make of the creature, though Neo and Kautounie both looked stunned. Standing on the transporter platform was a large animal, about the size of a draft horse. It had the head, front quarters, and wings of a great eagle, and the hindquarters, ears, and mane of a golden lion. The creature's feline tail ended in a tassel of feathers. Piercing, brave-looking dark blue eyes scanned Kirby and his group curiously.

"Dr. Knarks... is that... what I think it is?" Kautounie asked, her voice cracking a bit.

"Hmhmhm, gorgeous, is he not? I call him Razorbeak. He's a gryphon, said to be the physical embodiment of honor and valor itself!" Dr. Knarks announced, proudly, "Once believed to be long extinct on Horva, until I changed that, of course! Gryphons are powerful warriors, excellent fliers, and highly intelligent, some are even capable of casting spells."

"Poyo, poy, Raz...or...beak?" Kirby asked, gazing back into the gryphon's blue eyes.

"Well, he's got to have a name, you know. I can't just go around calling him Fido all the time!" Dr. Knarks shrugged.

Razorbeak ruffled up his wings, then stepped off the transporter platform. He showed quite a keen interest in the star warriors, though he had no problem with the sisters running their hands through his silky mane. Knuckle Joe, who was a bit nervous at first, found himself getting attached to the creature quite quickly. It was nice to have a monster befriend you rather then try to eviscerate you, after all.

"Ah, friends already!" Dr. Knarks hissed with glee.

"Dr. Knarks... how did you acquire such a creature?" Meta Knight asked, a little suspicious.

"Lets just say I can't go giving out all my secrets, I've got to be better then my competition!" Dr. Knarks chuckled, "Though I must admit, you and the little pink one there were quite an inspiration! Just remember this, ask Razorbeak politely when you would like him to do something for you. Right then, I'll leave you all to get better acquainted. Let me know how the demolition goes!" and with that, he hung up, leaving the team with his first celestial beast.

"Wait-oh!" Neo grumbled with an annoyed huff.

"Ask politely?" Meta Knight mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully "Hmmm, Razorbeak, show us your wings, please."

At his request, Razorbeak spread his magnificent wings as far as the confines of the warehouse would allow. Meta Knight nodded; a successful test to be certain, but now they had to somehow use their new teammate to reach the Halberd.

"So what do we do?" Knuckle Joe asked, still stroking Razorbeak's head along with Kirby.

"Isn't it obvious?" Neo snorted.

"We ride him, of course!" Kautounie added.

Suddenly Knuckle Joe didn't feel so good. Riding with Kirby on his Warp Star was bad enough! Now they expected him to get on THIS thing's back?

Razorbeak snapped his beak a few times, then stalked past the group to look out the window. He glanced up to the Halberd, then back to Meta Knight.

"Yes, that's where we're going." Meta Knight said.

"Hang on one sec, we need to do a little recon first." Neo suggested.

She began whispering strange, possibly made up words, or at least it seemed that way to those untrained in the magical arts. Small particles of golden light began to take shape, and Neo held out her arm. When the casting was done, Talon had arrived. The great-horned owl stretched out her wings and hooted softly.

"Ah, my princess, and many tasty-WHAT IN THE GREAT RED FOREST IS THAT?!" Talon howled, nearly leaping out of her feathers when her amber eyes landed on Razorbeak.

"Easy Talon, he's a friend! That's all I can say, kind of a long story," Neo said quickly, "Right now, I need you to scout something for us! You see, we sort of found Sir Meta Knight's ship, the one that was supposed to land just on the boarders of home."

Talon eyed Meta Knight with great suspicion; as if all this was HIS fault, but then Neo explained a condensed version of what all had happened to her anxious familiar. Once that was done, Neo opened the door to the warehouse, owl in tow. The first thing Talon noted was the heat. She couldn't understand what her princess or her "tasty" friends would be doing out here. Next, which you would have to try to miss, was the great big air ship hovering above the town.

"My, my, my, how did your Sir Meta Knight loose that in the first place?" Talon asked, turning her amber gaze to Meta Knight and Kirby.

Meta Knight's golden eyes closed for a moment as he suppressed his annoyed groan. He relaxed, if only a little, when Kirby gave him a reassuring pat on the back.

"But, if it is what my princess and her tasty friends... big and small desire, then that's what I shall do!" Talon huffed, just before taking flight into the warming desert air.

"Talon, don't let them see you!" Neo warned, though her voice had a bit of an echo to it.

"Boy Neo, you're pet is one weird bird." Knuckle Joe snorted, right before Razorbeak gently nudged him with his head, causing the smaller fighter to jump in surprise.

Neo didn't seem to notice. She was deep in thought, muttering quietly, with her eyes closed. When they opened, her eyes were no longer her own, but rather those of an owl, Talon's, to be exact.

"Poyo, poyo, Neo!" Kirby chided worriedly.

"It's alright, Kirby. Nothing's wrong, Talon is just sharing what she sees with me. What she sees, I see, what she hears, I hear, and what she feels, I feel." Neo explained.

From Talon's vantage point, the view was incredible! The owl must have been soaring along the starboard side of the ship, making her way to the deck.

"There's some minor damage on the starboard side." Neo said, pausing for a moment, "As I thought, demon beasts patrolling the deck," she paused a little while longer, "And there's some damage to the main cannons. Ah, but there's a hole right above the portside wing. That would be our best bet. Thank you Talon, you may return home. You've done more then enough."

"Don't hesitate to call for me, my princess!" Talon chided, before melting into the sunlight, leaving not a trace of her existence.

Neo convulsed for a brief second, then her eyes returned to normal.

"Ready to go?" Kautounie asked.

Meta Knight's cape morphed into wings again, and he looked about ready to just fly right out the open door, however, the monster transporter starting up again halted the elder warrior in his tracks.

"I hope he doesn't expect us to read an instruction manual for this thi-er-gryphon." Knuckle Joe groaned, pausing when Razorbeak's sharp eyes bored into him when he was about to be refereed to as 'thing'.

Instead of another monster, or even an instruction manual as Knuckle Joe had first thought, there was a small bottle filled with pale yellowish green liquid that had a note attached. Kirby picked up the small bottle and removed the cork, immediately replacing it upon getting one whiff of the foul stench.

"Yeckh!" Kirby spat.

"Wyrmrot?!" Kautounie and Neo both asked in disgust, having smelled the vile toxin from where they stood.

Meta Knight took the note off the bottle and read out loud, _"I almost forgot. Once you mentioned Ronic, I figured you'd need more then just a single gryphon to free your captive companions from his powerful mind controlling sorcery. Make sure he gets some of this, whether you inject it, slip it into his drink, coat your weapons, whatever you like, and he wont be able to so much as transmute a teabag. Use it or not, see if I give a tin shilling. By the way, should you be forced to fight the little madman in hand to hand, try to do so in the dark. Just a tip. Sincerely, your favorite mad scientist, Dr. Knarks."_

"Hmph, favorite mad scientist is a bit of a stretch."

"I know full well what this stuff can do to a spell caster, as does my sister." Neo shuddered, "After Riley gave it to us, we were unable to cast for nearly half a day!"

"Hmmm, I do not condone the use of poisons, however with the lives of our companions at stake." Meta Knight sighed.

"We might not have much of a choice." Kautounie said.

There wasn't much wyrmrot in the bottle, though Neo and Kautounie both knew that even a little bit goes a long way. Even though, none of them could fathom any reason for fighting in the dark. It didn't really make any sense! Maybe Dr. Knarks knew something about Ronic they didn't. Well, whatever.

Now armed with a potent toxin and a celestial beast, Kirby and his team headed outside. Razorbeak cocked his head, then gently nudged Kirby with his talon. Confused, Kirby turned around, blinking up to the massive creature. Razorbeak spread his wings, plucked a single feather, then set it down in front of Kirby.

"Poyo, beak?" Kirby asked.

The gryphon clicked his beak a few times, then showed his impressive wingspan again.

"I think Razorbeak's tryin' to tell ya to suck it up, Kirby!" Knuckle Joe suggested.

Razorbeak nodded. Dr. Knarks had mentioned that these animals were very intelligent.

With a happy sounding 'poyo', Kirby began his inhale, swallowing up the feather. His form didn't change a whole lot, though he now wore a native headdress with wings attached to the sides, and warpaint across his face.

"Poyo! Flap, fight, and rule the skies!" Kirby announced.

"Ready to fly with me, Wing Kirby?" Meta Knight asked, spreading out his own bat-like wings.

Wing Kirby lifted off the ground and nodded eagerly, while Knuckle Joe, Neo, and Kautounie, climbed up on Razorbeak's back.

"You girls now how to fly... monsters, I mean?" Knuckle Joe asked, nervously.

"Our ancestors once rode the mighty dragons of Horva. Flying in in my bloodline!" Kautounie bragged, proudly.

"Yes, but have you actually flown?!"

"Well, does riding on the Halberd count?" Neo asked, "Once."

"Oh boy..." Knuckle Joe gulped, tightening his grip on Razorbeak's mane.

Meta Knight beat his wings, kicking up a large cloud of dust as he did, matching Kirby's height in the air, "Now then Kirby, I want you to stay by my side. Things didn't end so well the last time you wondered about my ship by yourself!"

Kirby sighed and shook his head, though there was no hiding that little smile on his face, and even behind his mask, Meta Knight couldn't help but feel his face warm, and it wasn't from the desert heat!

"Sir Meta Knight, what happened the last time Kirby was on your ship by himself?" Neo asked.

"He crashed it." Meta Knight answered simply.

Kautounie and Neo both snickered, "This wouldn't have anything to do with that rumor about you trying to take over Dreamland, would it?" Kautounie asked, smiling and narrowing her eyes.

Knuckle Joe fought to stifle a laugh, "You, take over Dreamland? Oh Meta Knight." he snorted, thinking that this must have been a joke.

Now Meta Knight was turning beet red beneath his mask. How did they know?! Even Tiff was clueless about that little... indecent. Meta Knight had done his best to cover it up. Hell, even King Dedede helped him out! And Kirby certainly didn't tell anyone! At least he better not have! At the elder warrior's glare, Kirby shook his head and shrugged.

"Poyo, not me." he chirped quietly.

"That-that was just it, a rumor, nothing more!" Meta Knight insisted, silently praying the others would just drop the matter.

"Of course it was." Kautounie sighed, not entirely convinced.

Right now there were far more important matters to attend to, like taking back the Halberd from a rampaging lunatic and his religious fanatics. With a growl, Meta Knight climbed higher into the sky, followed by Kirby.

"This conversation is not over, Kirby. It is merely postponed!" Meta Knight warned, "Right now, I'd like to take my ship back!"

Kirby sighed and rolled his eyes, though he couldn't help giving his mentor a look of endearment. Flying towards the Halberd without being noticed, the challenge and thrill of the chase was bringing up nostalgic memories. Perhaps not good memories for some, but nostalgic nevertheless.

Still laughing, Kautounie motioned for Razorbeak to leap into the sky. Even carrying three riders, the gryphon was able to fly quite easily through the air, keeping steady pace with Wing Kirby and Meta Knight. It was quite a different experience then riding a horse. As Razorbeak soared through the air, every beat of his wings could be felt by his riders, and of course, the risk of slipping right off and falling to an untimely death hundreds of feet below was always present. However, the closer they got to their destination, the more they stopped worrying about falling off, and the more they hoped Ronic and his goon squad hadn't figured out how to use the Halberd's guns yet.

"Victory is my destiny!" Meta Knight growled, his eyes flashing bloody crimson. "I shall reclaim what is mine!"

*Halberd Bridge*

Ronic tapped his fingers restlessly against the Halberd's inner haul on the bridge, making sure the annoying, thumping echo could be heard by everyone on the bridge. Sword and Blade were working on the mangled control panel as fast as they could, given their second-only-to-a-zombie-like state of mind. The imprisoned Waddle Dees were also scurrying around in a mad panic.

"I'm waiting!" Ronic blurted out.

"Ronic, hon." Daisy sighed.

Before the mad halfling could chew Daisy out, a panicked voice on the ship's intercom got everyone's attention, even Bruno's, "Captain, sir! One of our men has spotted Sir Meta Knight and his star warrior apprentice! They're heading this way!"

"Meta Knight and Kirby? Heading this way?! WHAT DID THEY DO, SPROUT WINGS!?" Ronic bellowed.

The intercom was silent, if only for a second or two, as if the person on the other end was trying to think of a response that would not get himself killed, "As-as a matter of fact, Milord, that's... exactly what it looks like they did! There's also been one report of some sort of giant eagle."

"Eagle, where the hell did they get a giant eagle! Wait! Don't answer that! Rally the troops and get your asses in gear!" Ronic ordered, "I've already got the cookie and the wall flower, I guess I'll need to add the others to my collection! Heheheh! This bucket of bolts can wait. Sword Knight, Blade Knight, Tuff! Get out there and if they manage to get on board, stall em' for a while! If not, fine, just fine! Tiff, Geoffrey, you follow them! Same rules apply. Bruno, Dedede!" he called, pointing to the double doors leading onto the bridge, "As for you little potatoes, start fixing this shit!"

Without question, Sword, Blade, Tuff, Tiff, and Geoffrey stopped what they were doing and readied their weapons before leaving the bridge, while Bruno and Dedede stood guard. Meanwhile, the frightened Waddle Dees took over working on the repairs.

"As for you, Daisy my dear..." Ronic started.

"Yes, hon?" Daisy asked, expectantly, hoping that Ronic would have an important task for her.

"Mix me up a drink, would ya?"

Needless to say, that was a major disappointment for the demonologist. Ronic wasn't one for fighting. He disliked battle, which was why he made other people fight his battles for him, literally. However, seeing as he may get forced into one, he figured a bit of liquid courage would be just the thing!

"Daisy, can you make one for me too?" Bruno asked.

"GRRRAAHHHHHHH!" Ronic shouted.

*Halberd, Exterior*

Meta Knight lead the group around the right hand side of the Halberd. He gave quick instruction to stay as close to the hull as they could safely fly, avoiding as many guns along the side of the ship as manageable. Meta Knight would lead the others around the back of the ship, and to the hole that Talon and Neo had mentioned. All the while, he could only hope that Ronic was completely clueless on how to use all of the ship's radar and sensory functions. So far, they hadn't been spotted, at least it seemed that way. He took no chances, as Galaxia was clutched in a death grip during the entire flight. The elder warrior took a glance over his shoulder to make sure his apprentice and the others were keeping up. At this height, there was more then just his own warship to contend with, there was also that harsh, unforgiving desert winds whipping all around them.

"Poyo, Medi Kni!" Wing Kirby chided, his face frowned in slight confusion, "Someone yell?"

"Wasn't me, young one." Meta Knight said, looking around.

It sounded like someone's yell was echoing through the ship. Must have been very loud, considering that it was heard over the noise of the wind whipping around at this altitude. Even Razorbeak's keen ears perked up at the noise. Apparently the others heard it too. If anyone had to take a guess, probably Ronic.

"Sir Meta Knight, it's a good bet Ronic just found out we're here." Kautounie called out over the rush of wind and the loud roar of the Halberd's nearing engines.

"Indeed! Perhaps we should make an alteration to-" Meta Knight cut himself off when a barrage of small plasma bolts from all the smaller armaments along the side of the Halberd suddenly open fired. Razorbeak screeched loudly and swooped down in a spiraling motion, taking his unready riders for quite a ride before rising into the air again, heading straight for Kirby and Meta Knight.

"Whoa there, Razorbeak!" Knuckle Joe cried out, latching onto the great beast's neck.

"Ye-hah!" Kautounie cried out, obviously enjoying the danger high from being fired upon by an entire battleship, not to mention her flight on the back of one of Horva's most legendary creatures.

How, you may ask? Well, it helps when you're absolutely fearless. Neo, meanwhile, tightened her grip on her older sister's shoulder with one hand, while she readied a spell with the other.

Meta Knight blocked quite a few blasts with his sword, and Kirby was most swift to assist his mentor as he spat up the Winterclaw, but the two of them were quickly becoming overwhelmed by the bombardment.

"Kirby! Meta Knight!" Knuckle Joe called.

Just when the two star warriors were about to be shot full of holes, a cooling shield of ice suddenly appeared in front of Kirby and Meta Knight, courtesy of the sisters. This gave the mentor and apprentice enough time to get out of the fire fight and underneath the warship without being mutilated. Razorbeak had given them added protection, using his wings to shield the batamons from any stray shots that may have slipped through the ice shield. Although it looked like some damage had already been done, as there were a few holes burned through Meta Knight's wings.

"Yes, Kautounie, I think Ronic is fully aware that we are here." Meta Knight panted, beating his wings faster to stay airborne.

Kirby gazed to his mentor worriedly. He could tell that Meta Knight was struggling to keep in the air. But even as his lungs burned and his heart felt like it would give out, the old warrior didn't surrender. However, he also would have been a damn fool not to accept Neo's soothing healing spell! Which, as we all should know by now, Sir Meta Knight was no fool. The holes in his wings closed up and renewed vigor filled his body.

"I thank you for your assistance... all of you." Meta Knight said, gratefully.

"Poyo, poyo!" Kirby added, dashing after Meta Knight as the elder star warrior put on a burst of speed.

"Show them what you can do, Razorbeak!" Kautounie said, right before howling a primitive zwetoock war cry.

A slight alteration of the plans were in order. Meta Knight led the others underneath the ship towards the portside wings located near the back with the main engines. He was careful to guide the team around the boosters and engines underneath the Halberd. After all, getting caught in the blast of one of those would have made this a very short trip.

Just as Neo and Talon both had claimed, there was a hole that could barely be seen from their vantage point, though the exact size wasn't entirely certain. Then there was still the matter of all the guns!

"We have got to be fast!" Meta Knight warned.

"Poyo! Kirby can do fast!" Wing Kirby chided.

"Ready, Razorbeak?" Knuckle Joe asked, giving the gryphon a pat on the neck, then quickly grasping the beast's mane again before he slid off.

Kautounie and Neo prepared their ice shields, just on the off chance that there was an ugly unwelcoming committee waiting for them as soon as they ditched their cover. A good thing, too. As soon as the group was out from under the Halberd, every gun along the left hand side began to open fire mercilessly. Neo and Kautounie worked together to move their shield to protect everyone while Knuckle Joe, after giving Meta Knight an apology in advance, lobbed his Vulcan Jabs at the guns, effectively destroying many of them. At the same time, this had also shown that Ronic hadn't figured out how to equip the Halberd's shields. A good thing for them... most of them, anyway. Meta Knight didn't have to be happy about the extra damage to his ship, but he was happy that he was still alive!

"Poyo, Medi Kni!" Wing Kirby called, landing on the large, bat-like wing of the Halberd.

Meta Knight landed gracefully beside Wing Kirby and the two of them entered the hole to wait for Razorbeak and his riders. But now a problem arose. Knuckle Joe would fit just as easily, and the Redsun sisters could squeeze in if they got down on all fours, but Razorbeak was just to large to fit. The gryphon landed of the warship's wing, making sure his riders safely disembarked. Naturally, the high winds and guns that still blazed made walking across the wing a lot more difficult. Once safely inside, Razorbeak clicked his beak a few times and gave a loud screech.

"Thanks, Razorbeak! You've done brilliantly!" Neo praised.

Razorbeak gave a curt nod, then whipped his head around. He knew as well as they did that there were more dangers lurking along the Halberd. The guns ceased firing, and already a swarm of winged demon beasts could be seen flying in, possibly the same ones Neo and Talon spotted on the deck during the scouting.

"Poyo!" Kirby shouted, tensing up for a fight, Knuckle Joe right up there with him along with Kautounie.

The gryphon screamed again, then blocked the way with his wing and swayed his head. Razorbeak made a movement with his scaly paw, like he was using sign language to tell them to go inside.

"Come, young ones! We must go!" Meta Knight urged.

A small smirk formed along the edge of the gryphon's beak. With a loud screech of challenge, Razorbeak flared his wings and the tassel on his tail before diving off the edge of the Halberd's wing to meet the oncoming hoard. When the group retreated deeper into the hole, they could hear pained howls and cries of blood lust. It was uncertain who was winning the battle, but Kirby and company could only hope Razorbeak knew what he was doing.

"Alright. It is highly likely that the members of the crew are alive, but possibly under the same sort of Charming Curse placed upon Tiff and Geoffrey." Meta Knight warned, giving a glance to Neo just to make certain.

Neo nodded in confirmation.

"If at all possible, fight only to disarm and restrain them until we can find the culprit responsible!" Meta Knight finished, flexing his hands around Galaxia's hilt, "Keep an eye out for Geoffrey, Tiff, Tuff, Sword Knight, and Blade Knight... but especially for Ronic, Bruno, or Daisy."

Since Meta Knight knew his ship better then anyone else, well, besides maybe Kirby, he led the way. The hole they had come through led straight into the engine room. Already Meta Knight was making mental notes to patch up that hole. Atmospheric flights would be a complete disaster if that was left unattended.

Down below, there were a few smaller machines and pipes hooked up to the much larger reactor near the right hand side of the room. The shiny, metallic floor was jet black and the lighting was dim, most of it coming from the soft orange glow of the engine reactor, perfect for a stealthy entrance. There were a few figures below them, unaware of Kirby's and his team's presence. One was a rough looking Cappy male with some grease stains and blue overalls. Kirby and Meta Knight recognized him as Gus, Cappy Town's mechanic. By the looks of things, he was under that same curse as Geoffrey and Tiff had been afflicted with. The others, four that could be seen, were Nightmare Occultists, one a goblin, two humans, and a lizardman. They were accompanied by a single hell hound.

"What do you say we start this hijack off evenly?" Kautounie suggested, "One for each of us, then?"

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded, grinning mischievously.

Kautounie hunched her shoulders, prepared to pounce. She smirked at Knuckle Joe, who had the same idea. Sure, it was a long way down, but that always made it so much more fun!

"I get the goblin." Kautounie muttered to Knuckle Joe, "I missed breakfast this morning!"

Knuckle Joe smirked right back at the zwetoock, then set his sights on the bipedal lizard.

Neo took Heartseeker off her back and silently knocked an arrow and pulled back the string. Meta Knight unfurled his wings and Kirby lifted into the air, having still retained his Wing ability. One thing was for sure, Meta Knight certainly preferred Kirby helping him take back the Halberd rather then destroying it.

"Hmhm, I'm watching you, little one." Meta Knight chuckled softly.

::TO BE CONTINUED::

 **Author's Notes::** About 20 or so rereads later... okay, maybe ten, but it feels closer to 20, but really, who's counting? Seriously, don't be surprised by the title. You all knew this was coming! Anyway, we start off with a brief glimpse into what Dusk the Bounty Hunter is doing. (What, did you think I forgot about him?) Trust me, he's going to play a major role later on. We meet the leaders of the Bloodtooth pack, (By the way, Amon is the name of a powerful demon, one of Nine Dukes of Hell, a wolf devil to be exact, thought it would be fitting), and finally Dr. Knarks gets to go all out mad scientist. If any of you guessed 'Gryphon', you would be correct. I like gryphons, and in a universe with dragons, giant centipedes, wyverns, and fire breathing wolves, I figured that a gryphon would be a great first Celestial Beast. And for some reason, Razorbeak really likes Knuckle Joe.

On a Side Note, I couldn't help but poke a little fun at the Kirby Super Star (Ultra) game, with the whole Revenge of Meta Knight. Did it really happen or was it just a rumor? We may never know. Only Meta Knight and Kirby know for sure, and they're not spillin' it!

Dear lord, have I been having a blast writing Ronic. I don't think I've ever had to use Caps lock so many times nor come up with so many creative insults. Where did Riley dig up this little madman in the first place?

Onwards to victory! Is it Meta Knight's destiny, or will he and what's left of his companions join the rest of the Halberd's crew, enslaved under Ronic's mind-warping sorcery? I'll let you decide... until the next chapter is up, of course.

Just please remember... this is a story, a fan fiction... alrighty then?

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	28. Meta Knight's Revenge Part 2

In You're Nightmares, Meta Knight's Revenge, part 2

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and the Offhanded Chance that Awesome Jazz Music will be Playing in the Back of your Mind.

*Remember the hole above the left hand wing of the Halberd? (you would if if read part 1)*

When Kirby and the team prepared to make their strike, the hell hound below began to growl, catching the attention of the occultists. Neo took aim, then let her arrow loose. She was rewarded with a pained yelp, and a blaze of fire, signaling her target was slain by a single shot. All that remained was the brightly colored arrow that clattered along the metallic floor.

"INTRUDERS!" shouted one of the humans, right before Meta Knight and Kirby swooped down from their perch, tackling their targets to the ground.

With a roar, Kautounie pounced straight for the goblin, while Knuckle Joe landed a powerful jump kick right into the large lizardman. Meta Knight and Kirby both clashed blades with their startled opponents, however, were taken by surprise when the two humans sent a powerful blast of fire at their attackers.

Meta Knight grumbled, staggering off his target. The warrior steeled himself, ignoring the burns, and took the occultists down in a few short strokes of Galaxia. Kirby, meanwhile, no longer needing his Wing ability, coughed it up, though not entirely of his choosing. He was scorched, but had plenty of fight left in him. The pink puffball crouched down and pounced, mimicking the zwetoock fighting style. Since it was completely unexpected, the occultist had no idea how to counter, and therefore, Kirby was able to dispatch him quickly.

"Poyo!" Kirby growled.

Kautounie had a few scrapes, but that was nothing compared to the goblin corpse underneath her, as she had torn the fiend open and was, in a word, wolfing down a quick meal. Knuckle Joe had finished off his target, scoffing at the lack of challenge. At least that lizardman back in Garna's fighting pits at her club put up a fight! Now all that was left was the cappy mechanic, Gus. While the others were killing off their targets, Neo could see the mind-warped cappy rushing for the alarm trigger located near the doors. She fired another arrow, just in front of his feet, causing him to stop for a moment, then Neo scampered down into the engine room.

"Sir Meta Knight, Kirby!" Neo shouted, catching the two puffballs' attention.

They needed no explanation. Kirby sprinted as fast as his feet would carry him, while Meta Knight spread out his wings and glided low to the ground. Both Meta Knight and Neo blocked the cappy's way, the latter of the two showing her fangs in a threatening display, while Kirby cut off Gus' escape route. While Meta Knight wasn't entirely thrilled with his next move, he knew it was for the good of the poor, mind-warped mechanic. With a sigh, the elder warrior butted the hilt of his sword into the frightened cappy's head, knocking him out cold.

"Poyo, Medi Kni?" Kirby asked, blinking.

"What would you suggest, little one?" Meta Knight answered back.

"He's got a point, Kirby." Knuckle Joe shrugged.

Kautounie moved the corpses into a pile, though thankfully she refrained from setting them on fire this time. Gus, meanwhile, was moved away from the dead occultists, and restrained, knowing that he was still under that mind-altering spell. But at least all he would have to contend with was a major headache when he woke up.

"Just don't forget that he's down here." Neo said, worriedly.

Meta Knight acknowledged Neo, then led the others to the heavy double doors leading into the other levels of the ship. They had to get to the bridge, and fast. That's the most likely place Ronic would be. And even if he wasn't there, odds were good that someone else of interest would be. Perhaps Geoffrey and Tiff. Kirby and Meta Knight both checked to make sure the coast was clear, then they were off. But he couldn't help but think to himself; was Ronic really going to take the Halberd into space with that much damage to the hull? That was just asking for trouble. Considering that this was going to be their ride back to Dreamland, he made a mental note to himself to make sure that got fixed.

For a short ways, the hallway leading out of the engine room was wide and open, dark dull gold in color on the walls and deep, silvery blue on the floor. Along the walls were tracks of some sort, giving hint that there must have been some sort of tram or vehicle that would make travel throughout the Halberd much easier... not to mention faster. And sure enough, a little further down, they came across such a tram. It was simple in design, being but a platform with a single railing and a lever for going backwards and forwards. At least it was simple and easy to understand.

"Perfect! At least Ronic and his goons did not destroy these! We'll be able to get to our destination much faster!" Meta Knight exclaimed, climbing onto the tram and helping the others get on, "Up in the main levels, there is the kitchen and mess hall, infirmary, some living quarters, the bridge, and some doors leading outside onto the main deck."

"Hmph. Just don't put your weapons away." Kautounie grumbled, taking the Defender swords off her back.

"Ya know, I don't think I ever really got to see the inside of your ship, Meta Knight." Knuckle Joe commented, "You've got good taste in design, I'll tell ya that much!"

Since Meta Knight knew his own ship better then anyone else there, no one protested his taking charge. Besides, most of the time, Meta Knight had a pretty good idea of what he was doing.

There was enough room for everyone on board the trolley, though Neo did have Kirby perch on her shoulder to free up a little room. Once everyone was on, Meta Knight started the tram forward. Had there not been the threat of a madman looming over their heads and hoards of religious wackos aboard, the ride would have been quite pleasant.

"One thing that's botherin' me," Knuckle Joe commented, "How come the only goons we've seen so far was just in the engine room?"

Just when his other companions were about to put in their two cents, the loud, obnoxious voice over the intercom answered all their questions for them, "HEY IDIOTS! GET OUT THERE AND KILL THAT F***ING MUTANT BIRD ALREADY! WHAT EVEN IS THAT THING AND WHERE DID IT COME FROM? AND WHERE THE HELL ARE THOSE PUFFBALLS?! THEY CAME WITH THE STUPID BIRD... animal... WHAT EVER IT IS! FIND THEM! FIND THEM ALL! HURT THEM, HURT THEM! GAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

Neo and Kautounie winced a little from the high pitched squeal at the end of the rant when the intercom was shut off. Sensitive hearing had it's ups and downs. But now everyone knew that Razorbeak must have been keeping most of the occultists and demon beasts occupied. Dr. Knarks may be a psychopath and a sadist, but he certainly held up his end of the bargain by creating fine quality Celestial Beasts.

"Poyo, Beaky?" Kirby chirped, curiously, shifting his grip on Neo's shoulder.

"At least we know that our gryphon is okay." Kautounie mumbled, still trying to clear her ears from that horrible sound.

"But we do not know how long he will last. We must act quickly." Meta Knight urged.

"Sir Meta Knight," Neo began.

"Hmmmm?"

"I really, really hope you have this thing insured."

Kirby looked down to his Mentor from his perch on Neo's shoulder and couldn't help but notice the elder blue puffball shudder slightly. Perhaps he was just thinking of the before mentioned time back in Dreamland when he went mad with power and Kirby had to knock some sense into him.

"Lets just say I learned my lesson from the last few times." Meta Knight sighed, rubbing the side of his head, his eyes flashing green for a minute.

Before any more inquiries could be made about the "few times" comment he accidentally let slip, indicating that the Halberd had been destroyed more then just once before, (in Nightmare's deep space fortress and the before mentioned one-Kirby demolition crew, to be exact), the tram came to a stop as Meta Knight pulled back on the lever. They would walk from here. So far, so good.

"Quickly now." Meta Knight said, ushering everyone off the trolley.

From where the group stood, there was a narrower corridor bending to the left, and a stairwell to the right going up. Meta Knight was about to direct everyone up the stairs, but then a noise coming from down the left hand corridor caught everyone's attention. Curious, Kirby and Knuckle Joe both bounded forward, quietly, taking cover behind the wall and peaking down the corridor. The two of them couldn't see anything, but there were certainly noises coming from down there.

"Poyo, training rooms and kitchen down this way." Kirby whispered.

"Figures you of all people would know exactly where to pinpoint the kitchen on this flying fortress." Neo muttered with a smirk, knocking an arrow in her bow.

Kirby smiled back to Neo in his usual cute way. Even in the face of danger, the kid always had adorable smiles.

Aside from the sounds deeper down the corridor, the only noise that could be heard was the clicking of sharp claws on smooth metallic flooring. In fact, the Redsuns were having a little difficulty getting traction on the smooth surface. Meta Knight however, even wearing full armor, was silent as a ghost. Hmph, showoff!

However, as they passed the training room, that's when things got complicated. And naturally, by complicated, that means they were seen.

"Hey, there they are!" shouted a small hell hound.

"How did they find us in here?!" yelped another.

"Look! That's the same face that's on the front of this ship. Who'd have thought he'd have been so small!"

Everyone else loitering in the training room, doing their best to avoid actual work quickly found themselves thrust into a battle. Roughly eight hell hounds and three female Nightmare Occultists, warriors by the looks of it to be exact. (But really, who's counting?) They wore suggestive chain mail and leather armor, complete with bracers, spaulders, and replicas of Nightmare's medallion. The three women had been leaning against a rack lined with wooden practice swords and other weapons meant to be non-lethal. In alarm, the occultists snatched up their weapons, an ax, a mace, and a trident, which were resting against the far wall next to some weightlifting equipment. And before you ask, no, these weapons were NOT non-lethal.

"Get in there you dogs!" snapped one of the women, "What are you waiting for?"

Snarling, the hell hounds leaped forward. Smoke poured from their nostrils and molten saliva dripped from the hounds' open maws.

"Poyo!" Kirby shouted in challenge, slicing through one of the hell hounds with a graceful motion, one Meta Knight audibly praised to be precise.

One of the hounds breathed a stream of flames right for Knuckle Joe and Meta Knight. Before either of his two friends were licked by the painful fire, Kirby opened his mouth and began his inhale. Meta Knight seemed unaffected, though the vortex threw off Neo's aim and her arrow pierced the right side wall. The hell hounds however, dug their long, sharp claws into the floor to avoid being swept right off their feet. Now, Kirby had his fire ability equipped. Sure, it wasn't much use against hell hounds, but now the fire and smoke they breathed had no effect on him either.

"Feel the heat of hot flame techniques! Poyo!" Fire Kirby growled, flaring up the crown of flames on his head.

(In all honesty, the little guy needs to work more on his fierce growls, but he's getting better.)

Knuckle Joe pounded his fist into one unlucky hell hound's jaw, breaking the lower half clean off. The fiend whimpered in pain as smoke and molten blood poured from the injury.

"Smash Punch!" Knuckle Joe shouted, finishing the beast off.

Kautounie dashed into the fray, using the duel-bladed Defender to cut through another hell hound. At about ten feet away, she pounced for one of the Nightmare worshiping women fighters, the one with the mace. The clash was short lived, and even though the Defender sliced right through Kautounie's opponent, she still suffered a hard hit from the woman's mace.

By this time, Knuckle Joe had already slain three more hell hounds, and Meta Knight was working on dispatching the rest.

"Look, about that small comment I made earlier," one of the hell hounds whimpered as he cowered in the corner, "I-I was just-" he cut himself off, belching out a plume of flames, aimed at Meta Knight in a downright low attempt to catch the blue puffball off guard.

Snarling, Meta Knight pushed right past the flames, Galaxia held out in front of him, and sliced through the vile creature with his heavenly sword. There was a yelp and a flash of fire, signaling the end of the demon beast's life.

Now the trident-wielding occultist and the ax-wielding occultist found themselves outmatched as the rest of the team approached. Fire Kirby spit out a small amount of flames, while Neo threaded another arrow and Knuckle Joe... well... cracked his knuckles, of course.

"Surrender!" Meta Knight ordered, brandishing Galaxia, "And be spared!"

"We fight for the honor of our lord and master!" shouted the trident warrior.

"In the name of Holy Nightmare, you shall die!" added the ax wielder.

The two remaining occultists charged forward, fighting with savage fury. Kirby and Meta Knight took on the trident one, while Knuckle Joe and the sisters went for the ax wielder. A shot from Neo's bow, a Vulcan Jab from Knuckle Joe, and finished off by Kautounie's Defender. Not a good way to go, though Kautounie did take a rather heavy hit from the warrior's ax, leaving an ugly open wound on her forehead all the way down to her muzzle.

Kirby and Meta Knight rolled off to either side as their opponent thrust her trident downward. While her weapon struck nothing but the floor, the two smaller fighters took this opportunity to subdue the woman, knocking her weapon out of reach and forcing her to the ground with expertly placed sword swings. (And a small blast of flames from Fire Kirby was quite helpful, as well.)

"Poyo, Ronic? Where's he?" Kirby demanded, looking quite angry and dare I say, intimidating, "He has Tiff, Geoff, Kirby's friends!"

As Meta Knight placed Galaxia to her throat just to make his point that much clearer, the woman just smirked, "You know, I think you're friends heard you. They're just down that hall!"

The occultist lunged forward, triggering a dagger that she had concealed in her arm guard. Meta Knight's eyes dilated as the blade pushed through his flesh. He grunted in pain, then thrust his sword into the woman's neck. Once she was no more, Meta Knight stumbled back, holding the wound. Already his gloved hands were stained with blood, and to make matters worse, there was a lot of noise coming from further down the corridor.

"Poyo, Medi Kni!" Kirby yelped, fearful for his mentor.

He suppressed his Fire ability, mainly so that Meta Knight wouldn't get burnt when he let his injured mentor lean against him for support.

"I'm quite... alright, young one," Meta Knight insisted, "Just a flesh wound."

Kirby wasn't buying the elder warrior's statement and neither was Neo. Before they were thrust into yet another fight, Neo cast a Group Heal, curing the team of their physical injuries.

"You guys commin' or what?" Knuckle Joe asked, looking over his shoulder.

Meta Knight reassured his worried apprentice that he was just fine, then wrapped his cape around his body and took the lead again.

As the team made their way down the corridor, they came across a familiar face. Why, it was Escargoon! What were the odds? The purple snail stopped dead in his tracks, staring at Kirby and the rest of the group with glazed over eyes.

"Escargoon?" Meta Knight asked, stepping forward.

"In-intruders! The master... he must... know!" Escargoon drawled.

Once again, lack of any personality and talking about some unnamed master. Yup, that must have been Ronic's handy work alright. Without warning, Escargoon turned tail and fled.

"Poyo! Wait!" Kirby called after him.

"How does a snail run so fast?" Kautounie muttered to herself.

"Who cares? Let's go!" Knuckle Joe shouted, taking off after the snail.

Now came the tricky part, subduing their friend without killing him. At least all Escargoon was trying to do was flee, but, as soon as Kirby and the team followed him into the mess hall, all hell was about to brake loose. The mess hall was a basic room, with tables and chairs bolted into the metal floor so that they wouldn't slide around. A set of automatic sliding doors opened into the dining area, and on the far wall was a set of swinging doors leading into the open kitchen. Now, time for that hell you've been promised.

A gunshot from the far end of the room grabbed everyone's attention. It was then did Meta Knight notice the dent in the floor from where the bullet had just missed his foot by a fraction of an inch. Another shot, another miss. Geoffrey, handgun smoking, came out from the corner where he had been shooting from, and he wasn't alone, either.

"Poyo, Geoff!?" Kirby cried out.

"Hey, what's the big idea?!" Knuckle Joe shouted.

"He's not himself!" Meta Knight growled, "None of them are."

Accompanying Geoffrey was Tiff, her younger brother, Tuff, Sword Knight, and Blade Knight. Geoffrey raised his pistol again, though he looked like he was starting to have a seizure, and he wasn't the only one.

"No! You... can't... make... us... AHHHHHHHHHH!" Sword Knight shouted, dropping down to one knee in what sounded like crippling pain.

"My... 'oylty...be'ong's...to Sir...Meta...Knight..." Blade Knight gasped, fighting against the powerful invisible force making him reach for the sword on his back.

"Please... make us... stop..." Tiff pleaded, unwillingly raising Wicked and unfurling her acid whip.

"Hold on, poyo!" Kirby chided, "We free you!"

Just to make matters worse, as Geoffrey fired again, doing his best to intentionally miss, mind you, Escargoon, in his state of mind, had taken this opportunity to activate the emergency alarm located just beside the metal doors. Suddenly, a loud ringing filled their ears and red, flashing lights along the walls and ceilings blazed.

Great, just great! Now every single bad guy on board knew they were here! As icing on the proverbial cake, the automatic doors slammed shut and locked behind them, sealing the team inside with their possessed friends.

"It's only a matter of time before Ronic's goon squad gets here!" Neo shouted, pinning her ears against her skull.

"Until they do, we must do what we can to help our friends!" Meta Knight ordered, drawing his sword, "Sword Knight, Blade Knight, I'm very sorry. But I have to do this..."

*Meanwhile... on the Bridge*

Ronic jumped, letting out a startled squeak as the alarm suddenly went off. At the strange reactions he was getting from Daisy, Bruno, and his Waddle Dee repair crew, the halfling general quickly straightened himself up.

"Right, I knew that was coming!" he insisted, "It was just a matter of time."

"Sure, hun!" Daisy scoffed.

Ronic frowned again, hearing another beeping noise from the main console on the Halberd's bridge. To much beeping and noise, all at once! It figured that Bruno of all people would single handedly destroy the equipment required for flying this tin can out of their sand trap, but communications, those were working just fine! And right now, he couldn't get away with the old "just take a message ploy". Ronic opened his mouth, then just as rapidly closed it as Daisy flipped the switch to proceed with the transmission.

"It's the crew callin' from the deck, Ronic darlin'." Daisy explained.

"You better have some good news for me!" Ronic shouted, "I can't take any more bad news! I've already got those fluffballs running around my ship and that stupid bird killing off my demon beasts! Tell me you've got something good! TELL ME YOU'VE GOT SOMETHING GOOD, DAMN IT!"

The voice on the other end was quiet for a minute, as though he were waiting to start in case Ronic had anything more to say, "Ronic, sir! We've captured the beast that's been tearing your army to shreds. I'll give the order to slaughter it right now!"

"Don't you DARE kill that thing!" Ronic shouted, stomping closer to the intercom, "I want that thing alive!"

"But Caption, sir, you're previous orders were to-!"

"F*** my previous orders!" Ronic bellowed, "I changed my mind! Where the hell are you anyway?!"

"Out on the main deck sir." said the voice on the other end.

"Right... I knew that!"

In the background, they could hear Razorbeak screeching loudly. But Ronic wasn't responding right away. He winced slightly as the alarm was still ringing in his ears, or perhaps it was the sound of all his own yelling.

"Sir? Caption?"

"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya!" Ronic bellowed, canceling the communications with a grunt, "Shithead..."

Now that that was out of the way, the quick tempered halfling snapped in a few keys on a different console, pinpointing the exact location of where the alarm was triggered.

"Ah ha! The mess hall! Excellent, excellent!" Ronic muttered, "Bruno! Why don't you go down to the kitchen and get us all some... take out? Hmhmhmhmhmmmm... then meet up with Daisy and I on the main deck. Got that?"

"Oh, I like take out!" Bruno said, almost too cheerfully, "Chinese, sushi, or American?"

This of course caused Ronic's cleaver and triumphant smile to drop.

"GAAAHHHHHHHHH! Not food, you idiot!" Ronic shouted, "The puffball fighters, the little elfie critter, and the hot-lookin' furry things! Can't you understand any of my double meanings?"

Bruno had to take a moment to think about this. He glanced to King Dedede for help; yeah, a lot of good that would do.

"You mean the cute little guys?" Bruno asked, dumbly, "I didn't know they were food."

"How many times do I have to tell you? They are NOT cute, they are the enemy, kapiesh?!" Ronic snarled.

"Oh, you want quiche?"

"GRRRRRRRRAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH! JUST GET THOSE DAMN STAR WARRIORS AND BRING THEM TO ME! NOW!"

"Well why didn't you just say that?" Bruno asked with a shrug.

When he turned around to leave, drawing the massive pike breaker sword off his back as he did, the mad halfling stopped him again.

"Wait a minute! Let me see your... BRUNO! THIS SWORD ISN'T EVEN SHARP!" Ronic shouted.

"But if I sharpened it, then someone could get hurt." Bruno pointed out.

"GGGGGAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Get yourself a decent sword you clank-stepping, turnip-headed oaf, then go get me those Star Warriors!"

Unable to determine what problems Ronic would have with such safety precautions, the hulking knight left the bridge, dull blade in hand.

Ronic, after giving a silent prayer to Nightmare and all that was evil that Bruno would NOT get himself lost, took Daisy and King Dedede to go outside to the deck with him. All the while, he savored the moment that every single one of the adventurers would be under his spell. The mad halfling felt inside the satchel at his side, making sure that the large chunk of the Star Rod was still with him. After all, he would need that when if he was to present himself to the all Holy Nightmare. (And, in his own delusional mind, request the Lady Riley's hand in marriage.)

"Five gold dragons says ol' Bruno goes and looses to Meta Knight." Daisy sighed.

Ronic didn't say anything, though the look alone told Daisy that he accepted the bet. He knew something that she didn't. Yes, Bruno was a moron, but the idiot was handy in a scrap fest. Besides, that hulk vs. all five of them...? Yeah, it was definitely in Bruno's favor.

"King Dedede, you're my witness!" Ronic announced, seemingly right the hell out of no where, "Now then, about this bird... muahahahaaaaaaaa!"

*Back in the Mess Hall*

Meanwhile, locked in the mess hall with their well armed and possessed companions, Kirby and his team set about the unpleasant task of beating their friends into senselessness for their own protection. It might sound kinda weird, but when you're best friend has been mind-warped by a madman, you'd do the same thing!

Meta Knight squared off with his two knaves, using the flat of his blade to prevent any permanent damage, and when that didn't work, he'd resort to using his fists instead. Kautounie leaped across the room and over a table for Geoffrey, tackling him to the ground and knocking the gun out of his hand. On the way down to the floor, the human's head slammed against a hard, metal chair, stunning him temporarily. She had his arms pinned so that he couldn't pull out another weapon from his seemingly endless supply while Knuckle Joe gave the human a good, solid punch to the head and went about disarming his weapons. But it didn't last very long, as Geoffrey began putting up one hell of a fight.

Neo had first given Escargoon a black eye and a splitting headache before going after Tiff and Tuff with Kirby. She hissed loudly at Tuff as the boy whipped out a short sword, cutting off a few locks of her mane as he did. Kirby meanwhile, dodged out of Tiff's way, then performed a slide kick, taking Tiff's feet right out from under her.

"Poyo, Tiff! It's Kirby." Kirby cried out, "Kirby... love you."

Tiff shuddered again, fighting to resist the curse afflicting her. She didn't want to hurt Kirby, but she couldn't stop her body from doing what Ronic was telling her either. With a scream, Tiff cracked her whip at Kirby again, albeit clumsily, given her possession. The bubbling acid began to dissolve the metal floor, inches away from Kirby's feet. Kirby dashed forward, kicking Wicked out of Tiff's hand, leaving the acid whip to recoil back into the wand. He suffered a light sword hit from Tuff as the boy tried to break off his fight with Neo, but he was quickly overpowered and put into a choke hold by the young zwetoock.

"You really live up to your name, don't you, cub?" Neo asked, once her target slid to the ground, completely incapacitated.

She checked the child's pulse, just to make sure he was still alive. After all, Neo had always considered herself a healer first before anything else.

Tiff struggled to get back up to her feet, though Kirby wasn't letting her. The little pink puffball kicked her again, then struck with the flat of Winterclaw, leaving a chilling mark against her face.

"Sorry Tiff." Kirby apologized, balling up his small fist.

With a lump in his throat, Kirby struck his adopted sister, knocking her out cold before she could strike with the knife she had just taken off her belt. He watched sadly as the blade slid from her open hand, but at least she herself was still breathing.

Sword Knight stumbled backwards when Meta Knight gave him a good, swift kick right to the ribs. The leather armor protecting most of his torso offered little protection from a physical beating of that sort. Next, the blue warrior blocked Blade's attack, pushed him back, then struck the knave with the flat of his sword. Despite the fact that the two younger warriors had been doing their best to pound Meta Knight into the ground, the elder warrior could tell that their hearts were not into it, and that they were fighting against Ronic's will.

Suddenly, Blade and Sword both seized up, fighting to drop their weapons and surrender.

"Caption... please..." Sword managed to choke out, unwillingly raising his sword to deliver another round of attacks, "Make... us...stop! Ahhhhhhhhh!"

"I'm afraid this will not be easy on you two." Meta Knight sighed, "But I will do what I must, for all our sakes."

The old veteran steeled himself, then whipped up a vicious cyclone as he used his mach tornado technique. Sword and Blade were flung across the room, slamming into tables and chairs, then finally, onto the floor. The two of them had some minor cuts, but none of them were too deep. Dizzy and unfocused, they were helpless to defend themselves as Meta Knight butted the hilt of his sword against the backs of their heads.

"I pray when you wake up, you will be yourselves again." Meta Knight growled, his eyes flashing red for a moment.

Sword and Blade were sprawled out on the floor, unconscious. Their lord and master wasn't angry with them, he was angry with Ronic. Yes, that mad man may have been able to control the minds of others and have them do what he wanted, but that was no replacement for a free mind and sentient thought. One thing was for sure, under Meta Knight's command, his two knaves would NOT have gone down so easily.

That left one more, at least they thought they only had Geoffrey to contend with. Without much warning, an orange, egg-shaped creature, who was similar to a cappy wearing an chef's hat and an apron, came charging out from the kitchen, shouting and wielding a frying pan. No shock to anyone; he had the same, glazed over look in his eyes that all the other original crew members of the Halberd had.

"Poyo, Kawasaki? Kirby asked, tilting his head curiously.

Yes, Chef Kawasaki! It seemed that Ronic had been smart enough NOT to eat this guy's food, as he would have been dead from food poisoning long ago. Kirby called out again, leaping onto one of the tables. He caught a brief glance of Meta Knight battling his two knaves and Kautounie and Knuckle Joe brawling on the floor with Geoffrey. The last thing any of them needed was this joker! Frowning, Kirby leaped off his perch on the table, and slammed both his feet into the mind-warped chef, knocking him to the floor, senseless.

"Poyo, anymore?" Kirby asked, looking around, nervously.

Meanwhile, Geoffrey had managed to pry Kautounie off of him, though he didn't seem to notice that a large amount of his guns and knives were missing when he reached into his coat. Knuckle Joe had done a good job, but not good enough. Geoffrey whipped out two glock pistols Joe had somehow missed and started firing. Kautounie ducked behind her ice shield, and forced the wall of cold ice forward, right into her brother, ramming him to the ground. Knuckle Joe moved in for another attack, but a loud 'BANG' and several cuss words following right after could only add up to one thing.

"He shot me!" Knuckle Joe howled, holding his injured leg in agony, "That bastard shot me!"

"You're lucky, Joe! That shot was originally aimed at your gut!" Kautounie pointed out, scrabbling across the smooth surface, "He pulled downward just in time!"

Eventually, with the aid of Neo's healing spells for her allies, and several punches and slashes later, Geoffrey was finally out cold. Kirby and the team panted heavily from exhaustion, but at least no one was killed. Neo checked over everyone, possessed and unpossessed, though she didn't want to risk using her healing magic on their mind-warped friends due to the risk that they might wake up, so while Kautounie and Knuckle Joe began figuring out a way to get themselves out of the locked down mess hall, Neo bound her companions' injuries with mundane medical treatments. Meanwhile, Meta Knight took the small bottle containing the Wyrmrot out from under his cape. He didn't like using poisons or drugs, but he justified it's use since it only debilitated the use of sorcery and was not deadly.

"For my companions, my crew, my family." Meta Knight breathed to himself.

Cautiously, Meta Knight smeared the foul smelling liquid all over Galaxia, in preparation for when they came face to face with Ronic. Meanwhile...

"It wont budge!" Knuckle Joe grunted, leaning against the sealed doors.

"Perhaps I designed her a little to well." Meta Knight muttered to himself, quietly, sheathing his sword.

"Hold on, I think I can get these babies open." Kautounie offered.

Her eyes flashed brightly for a second, then the zwetoock used her sorcery to summon her telekinetic force to pry open the sealed doors.

"If this doesn't work, I'm sure Geoffrey's got a grenade on him... somewhere... we can just feed to Kirby." she growled, straining from the force of the spell.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, upon hearing his name being volunteered.

"I was hoping to avoid a situation like that but it looks as though-" Meta Knight started.

Suddenly, the doors hissed as they slid back inside the wall. But there was one small problem. You see, Kautounie was quick to inform the team that it wasn't all her doing.

"Then if it wasn't you then-?" Knuckle Joe cut himself off as a hulking armored figure stepped into view.

It wasn't the Masher; he was still pushing up daisies, but it would be easy to make the mistake. Nope, upon closer inspection, it was the bipedal ox clad in full plate mail armor known as Bruno. All things considered, he had a pretty cheerful expression on his face, like he was completely clueless as to how much damage and chaos his boss, Holy Nightmare, and Riley were raising.

"Hi there. My boss would very much like to meet the intruders that broke into this ship on the main deck." Bruno said, not sounding at all confrontational, "By any chance, have you seen them?"

This of course caused some confusion. Just what was this guy's angle? Was he playing some sort of trick or was he really that stupid? Then he brandished the sword he had been holding. The blade was nearly as long as he was tall, not to mention, it was intended to be used with both hands. Bruno only needed one. Suddenly, it was as if he realized something that was obvious.

"Hey, you are the ones that have been trying to steal this ship! You're face is right at the front!" Bruno mentioned, pointing an armor clad finger at Meta Knight.

Okay, so he could figure some things out. Very basic things, at least.

"Hmph, you and you're demon beasts are the intruders!" Meta Knight growled, whipping out Galaxia in a flash..

"What was I supposed to do again?" Bruno asked himself, straining in thought.

"Let us go and allow Sir Meta Knight to take his ship back." Neo suggested quickly, hoping that the lout would buy it.

Sadly, Bruno wasn't buying it. Without much effort, he plowed right through one of the tables bolted to the floor as he headed for the zwetoocks and star warriors, "That's right, I'm supposed to capture all of you and take you to Ronic, even the cuddly ones."

"Poyo! Ronic... he hurt Kirby's friends!" Kirby growled.

"Hmph, I for one am not cute or cuddly! Prepare for battle!" Meta Knight snarled, leaping forward.

The veteran twirled through the air, using Galaxia Drill. After the attack, he dropped to the floor in front of Bruno then took a fighting stance. Alas, much to his horror, Bruno was COMPLETELY unharmed! The hulking human simply looked at the scuff on his armor and sighed.

"I didn't want to hurt you cute little ones, but it seems that you don't want to be captured." Bruno observed.

"No, really?" Knuckle Joe scoffed sarcastically, "Boy, you're even dumber then Masher 2.0!"

"Hey, Ronic said the same thing to me once!" Bruno growled, completely oblivious to the fact that Kirby was attacking his shin at this moment, "That wasn't very nice."

Knuckle Joe, Neo, and Kautounie all lunged forward at once, only to be taken out by a single swing of Bruno's massive sword. Dull blade or not, it packed a wallop! The three of them went tumbling across the floor, Neo dropping her bow and magnum revolver and Kautounie her shotgun and Defender, right before crashing into the bolted down dining fixtures, and in the case of Knuckle Joe, the wall.

"Okay... that one really... hurt..." Knuckle Joe moaned as he slumped to the floor.

"Poyo!" Kirby cried out, attempting to inhale.

He wasn't aiming at anything in particular, but there was no way he was getting Bruno inside his stomach either. Right about now, anything would do, a knife, a gun, a grenade even. But that was not the case. Before he could even finish, Bruno effortlessly plucked him right up and tucked the little puffball under his arm, crushing him against his side.

Meta Knight snarled, his eyes flashing bloody red as his buried parental instincts began to resurface. Bruno picked up a rather dazed Knuckle Joe, crushing the small elf-like creature next to his body alongside Kirby.

"I suggest you leave those kids alone!" Meta Knight growled, bounding forward.

"Is there something wrong with your eyes?" Bruno asked, unphased, "They look a little red and irritated."

Meta Knight crashed into Bruno once again, doing far more damage to himself then he did to the armored dumbbell. Galaxia quivered in his hands as Meta Knight steadied himself. He could see Neo and Kautounie slowly getting up after their failed first attempt to attack. Come to think of it, this was the slowest Kautounie had ever taken to return to a battle.

"And here I was thinking Garna was over exaggerating!" Meta Knight admitted, wide-eyed.

He was not about to flee from a fight, not while his friends, his family, were in danger. Meta Knight artfully flapped his cape, reappearing behind Bruno, then quickly slashed down below, attempting to hamstring the brute. Bruno turned around, then slammed the flat of his sword into Meta Knight, sending the old star warrior reeling into the wall. While Meta Knight was dazed and helpless, Bruno calmly stomped to where he lay prone, even stepping over the unconsious bodies of Sword, Blade, and Geoffrey as he moved. The elder warrior barely had enough time to conceal Galaxia under his cape before he was crammed under the hulk's arm. The blue puffball was crushed against the other captives and Bruno's armored body.

"This is... beyond... undignified!" he choked out, struggling to free his arms.

He still had Galaxia with him, though the blade wasn't doing him much good if he couldn't move his arms to reach it. Kautounie and Neo, even in their delirious state, didn't give up without a fight either. Kautounie at least made some progress when she bit Bruno's hand and somehow made him drop him sword, (even she wasn't quite sure how she did it) but a single backhanded smack sent her sprawling to the floor. However, while he picked up the elder zwetoock and then moved on to her sister, Kirby had found himself an opening to wriggle out of his captor's hold. The pink puffball looked around frantically for anything that he could use against the upright tank.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped, staring Bruno square in the eye.

"Hey, how did you? You get back here!" Bruno said, as he lumbered forward.

"Kirby... if it's not... bolted to the floor, start sucking it up!" Kautounie shouted, right after spitting a bit of blood from her mouth.

Anything that was not sealed to the floor, or named Bruno, began to make it's way towards Kirby's open mouth. Kirby did succeed in gulping down Heartseeker, the Defender, Neo's Magnum revolver, Matilda, and Kautounie's Defender, and he almost got Kautounie herself. But just when little Kirby was about to start transforming, Bruno, still holding onto all his prisoners, grabbed hold of the little puffball in his armored hand, placing him back under his arm next to Meta Knight, suppressing any chance of transformation. Kirby struggled to squeeze out, but there was no escaping for him this time. It was quite uncomfortable being crushed against the armored human's side, especially with a stomach full of weapons.

"Poyooooo" Kirby moaned, closing his eyes tightly in discomfort.

"If you have to do it, not... *groan* on my cape!" Meta Knight warned, noticing just how sick Kirby's complexion had become.

Soon enough, the hulk had reclaimed his sword, and now lugged Kirby and all his teammates out of the mess hall, back through the corridor they had originally come from, and towards the doors leading out to the main deck. Along the way, small groups of frantic Waddle Dees would rush past every now and again, though they didn't seem to be under any spell. Perhaps Ronic was controlling them through other means.

"You know, hitting your own friends wasn't very nice." Bruno pointed out, "Nether was hitting me!"

"Quit you're...ow...whining... you tin can ox!" Knuckle Joe grunted, kicking and struggling all the way.

"Poyo! Grrrrr!" Kirby panted, straining to break free.

"I... can't... hardly breathe!" Neo gasped.

She struggled to reach the wand that was still at her side, but she could barely wiggle a finger at this point with how tightly Bruno held her.

Kautounie cursed rapidly in the zwetoock language, finding it very difficult to try using any magic while being crushed against the lout's side. To make matters worse, Bruno couldn't help but coo all over them, openly expressing that they were the cutest things he had ever seen.

"Just wait til you put me down, then we'll see how cute I am." Kautounie snarled.

"How dare you accuse me of such a thing!" Meta Knight grumbled.

Well, at least they would get their face to face with Ronic now, just not in the way they had hoped.

*Halberd, main deck*

While waiting for that lard head of a knight (if he was to show up at all), Ronic passed the time by tormenting the badly wounded gryphon his demon beasts and Waddle Dees held captive and practicing his evil speech. Daisy yawned loudly, checking the imaginary watch on her wrist while she stroked a hell hound with her other hand. King Dedede wasn't doing much, other then just standing there watching Ronic with a glazed look in his eyes.

"Hmhmhmmmm, at least I have a back up plan! If those mugs do manage to kill my walking tank, I'll have his royal lard ass here be my new bodyguard!" Ronic announced, laughing evilly.

"You know, we should have had this darn thing fixed by now." Daisy moaned, "Stupid Waddle Dees! They work for free yet they're good for nothin'!"

"You could have warned me before I bragged to the Star Warriors that I've taken their ship and have no intention, rhyme, or reason to give it back!" Ronic shouted, "Stupid bitch." he grumbled quietly, turning back to Razorbeak.

He ran his hand over the injured creature's beak, nearly loosing a few fingers in the process, "This can't be one of Nightmare's monsters! This one actually works!"

"That's your first clue, huh?" Daisy growled, "What about the fact that it was attacking us in the first place?"

"No matter... this beastie shall be under my command!"

Ronic was just about to start weaving his mind-altering sorcery, when one set of doors under the main cannon leading onto the main deck opened up. A smile crossed the mad halfling's face, and Daisy had a look of pure shock. Not only had Bruno incapacitated Kirby and his team, he was also holding onto all five of them with little effort. Well, looks like Ronic was five gold dragons richer!

"You said you wanted to see them, right?" the giant asked, shifting his arms to make the load more comfortable for himself, "Can I keep the little pink one and the blue one?"

"Certainly not!" Meta Knight growled, tensing up.

Now on deck, Kirby and the rest of the group could see that Razorbeak had been captured, though the many blood smears on the ship gave hint to just how many demon beasts and Nightmare worshipers the gryphon had taken out.

Ronic, Daisy and her hell hound, and the possessed King Dedede started forward.

"Maybe the third time will be the charm, eh?" Ronic taunted, smirking up at Meta Knight.

The indignant blue warrior said nothing, though in all honesty, he really didn't have to. The blood red of his eyes said everything anyone needed to know. That little creep knew about the... incident, too?!

"Ronic, they took out all the other ones you sent, Geoffrey, the little girl, and the two little knights." Bruno reported.

"Ah, they've done their job! I just needed em' to buy time! Dead or alive, I need them to fix this flying tin can!" Ronic grunted, waving his arms around, laughing insanely, "Plus, as you can see, I have captured your mutant bird. So ha!"

"That's all you have to say?!" Neo asked, disgusted, "What have you done to Razorbeak?"

"Yes that's it, sweetheart!" Ronic laughed, "What have I done? What have I done? Why, the same damn thing I'm gonna do to everyone else here!"

"Sweetheart?" Neo questioned, narrowing her eyes.

While Ronic was busy bragging about how he was going to take over each of their minds and bend them to his will, Meta Knight slowly flexed the Galaxia sword in his hand. So far, the blade had remained hidden in a fold of his cape. Kirby, meanwhile, perked up. Bruno didn't seem to notice anything, though Daisy seemed to catch wind that something wasn't quite right. Then she saw the satchel at Ronic's side was glowing brightly out of the opening. Kirby felt comforted and soothed by the familiar strength and power that began to flow through him, and at the same time, he felt invigorated. The Star Piece must have been close, or rather, it was close! Now if he could just get to it.

"Poyo... Star... Rod..." Kirby strained.

"Alright Bruno, toss em' over here!" Ronic shouted.

Bruno obliged, throwing all five of his prisoners down onto the deck. Kautounie yelped as Neo landed on top of her, quite hard. Knuckle Joe found himself gasping for air on his hands and knees. Kirby rolled to a stop, just barely a few feet away from Ronic. He blinked up to cleric, innocently. Meta Knight landed at Kirby's side. The old veteran shuddered as he got to his feet, keeping his cape wrapped around his body, clinging to what dignity he had left.

"Kirby of the Stars... and his famous mentor Sir Meta Knight!" Ronic glowered, "We meet for the first time for the last time!"

The manic halfling stopped and frowned for a minute. Meta Knight was only about as big as he was, maybe smaller! "You know, I thought after all the hype, you, Sir Meta Knight, would have been taller!"

After a long, annoyed snarl, the Star Warrior dignified his "host" with an answer, "You're one to talk, shortie! Now I know where the .5 on you're town's welcome sign comes from!" Meta Knight growled.

Ronic snarled right back at the star warrior, "You have just forced my hand, you smart-mouthed bucket head! You will regret that you were ever born, that you ever constructed this tin can, that you ever crossed paths with Holy Nightmare's Supreme Cleric...that would be me in case you didn't know," Ronic explained, (as if they didn't know that already), "You'll regret this more then bringing bleach anywhere near that stylish cape of yours! Bring me Kirby first!"

"Darlin', he's already right there." Daisy pointed out.

The mad halfling glared daggers at Daisy, as she had ruined his evil fantasy by pointing out the obvious. However, much to Ronic's disappointment, Kirby looked more baffled then frightened. But the pink warrior's eyes quickly narrowed as he glared at Ronic. He couldn't forget what this comical fiend did to his family and his friends!

"Don't worry, cuddle puffkins! You'll be with your dear, sweet sissy soon enough!" Ronic cackled, "All of you will!"

"I wouldn't bank to heavily on that, Ronic!" Meta Knight warned, revealing Galaxia from under his cape.

"Poyo!" Kirby shouted, taking out Winterclaw and preparing for a fight by his mentor's side.

"You take my ship, you possess my crew, then you attack my... family." growled Meta Knight, "Prepare yourself for battle, and prepare to be defeated! I will fight to reclaim what is rightfully mine!"

Ronic screamed and leaped backwards, cursing as many cuss words as he could think of, "BRUNO YOU F***ING MORON! YOU DIDN'T THINK CHECK THEM FOR WEAPONS?!"

"They looked so trustworthy, I didn't think I'd have too." Bruno shrugged, not understanding what he had done wrong.

"THINK?! Did you, my tin-plated, bowl-headed, walking landmass just say THINK?!"

Suddenly realizing what this meant, i.e., his boss was in danger, Bruno, surprisingly quickly, dashed around the scrambling star warriors and zwetoocks, accidentally stepping on Neo's tail in the process causing her to yelp in pain, and taking his place by Ronic's side.

As Kirby made quite a flashy and theatrical display while swallowing Winterclaw to become Sword Kirby, the pink puffball had also spat up the weapons he previously swallowed, allowing his companions the chance to arm themselves.

"Poyo! Galaxia and Winterclaw. Together, they sing the song of fire and ice!" Kirby said, donning his green swordsman hat and taking a stance.

Each side frantically reached for their nearest weapon. Bruno already had his out, Daisy went for the gun at her hip, while King Dedede hefted his great hammer. Ronic meanwhile, backed away from the two angry puffballs before him to let his lackeys do the fighting.

Meta Knight and Kirby readied themselves to take out Ronic, but first, they had to get through Bruno. Since the elder blue puffball knew both he and his apprentice would need all the help they could get, he also took the Dragon Fang knife off his belt. Neo threaded an arrow into her bow, finding herself staring right at King Dedede as the possessed penguinoid charged for her.

"Your majesty... I'm so sorry." Neo sighed, taking aim.

Kautounie yelped, holding onto her shoulder as a bullet from Daisy's handgun tore through her flesh. Her yelp quickly transformed into a snarl as her ears folded back against her head.

"Oh Kautounie honey, are you that upset about what Ronic did to those sweet things, Geoffrey, Tiff, and them cute little Dreamlander knights?" Daisy asked, giggling, "I'm sure Ronic would let you join them if you asked real nice!"

Kautounie didn't answer. A roar and a swing of the Defender Blade was enough.

"Kautounie!" Neo shouted, becoming momentarily distracted.

She ducked out of the way of one hammer swing, only to endure a rib-crunching hit from another swing, sending her sprawling across the Halberd deck. Kautounie howled with rage, but Daisy was relentless, refusing to let the zwetoock go to the aid of her sister. The demonologist set her next sights on Knuckle Joe as the smaller fighter charged for her, sending a barrage of Vulcan Jabs her way.

"How do ya like that?! Vulcan Jab! Vulcan Jab! Spin Kick!" Knuckle Joe shouted.

Daisy only sighed, weaving a shield of earth and sand in front of her to protect herself, much like Neo's and Kautounie's ice shield. The hell hound at her side only laughed, clearly feeling the same delight her mistress felt.

"Honestly Joe darlin', why don't you try shuttin' the hell up?!" Daisy snorted, taking another shot with her handgun, missing only by an inch or so.

She quickly ducked out of the way as Kautounie took another swing for her. Knuckle Joe gritted his teeth. There was no way he was going to let this Nightmare worshiping bitch get the better of him. Not after all he had been through.

Meanwhile... Bruno lumbered forward, wielding that massive sword of his. Meta Knight could tell that the man didn't really look like his heart was into it, and that he was only following a madman's orders.

"Poyo, poyo, Medi Kni!" Sword Kirby gestured, pointing at Ronic.

Bruno stomped in the way before the blue puffball could charge forward. Glaring, Sword Kirby met the hulk's challenge. He knew what he had to do! He would keep Bruno distracted, so that Meta Knight could get to Ronic.

"Are you sure, Kirby?" Meta Knight asked.

Kirby nodded with determination, "Poyo! For Tiff, for Geoff!" he answered.

"Very well!" Meta Knight said, "For my family..." he added in a whisper.

Underneath the harsh, unforgiving desert sun, the battle to determine the fate of the Halberd and her crew was only beginning. They knew going in that the odds would be against them, even more so now that more demon beasts had been summoned to the fray, no thanks to that floozy, Daisy. Sword Kirby and Bruno clashed blades, while Meta Knight spread his wings, then made a beeline for the unsuspecting madman, Ronic. Knuckle Joe, Neo, and Kautounie fought against the mind-warped King Dedede and Riley's half sister, Daisy Prescott. Meanwhile, the Waddle Dees holding Razorbeak prisoner were just trying not to get themselves killed.

"Holy Nightmare, you magnificent son of a bitch, I hope you're watchin' this!" Ronic howled with insane delight, "Bring it, Kirby! Bring it, Meta Knight! I'll turn your brains into spaghetti by the time I'm through with you, ahahahahaahahahaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwaaaaaaahhhhhhhh SHIT!"

::TO BE CONTINUED::

 **Author's Notes::** Whohoooooooo! Part/chapter 2 of Meta Knight's Revenge is up! And I kid you not, more then half this chapter was inspired by these lines I thought up while my brother and I were driving to the casino one day.

Ronic: "BRUNO, THIS SWORD ISN'T EVEN SHARP!"

Bruno: "But if I sharpened it, then someone could get hurt."

Then just came the question of filling in all the blanks around those two lines. XD

*sigh* Yup, Bruno can actually make King Dedede look highly intelligent.

So we've got the trek through the ship, a few Cappy Town cameos, and lots and lots of action. Before I started working on this chapter, I actually watched the final episode/movie of Kirby, Right Back at Ya, just to get a good look at the Halberd's interior. I must say, Meta Knight has good taste in design. And yes... Ronic did just go as far as to threaten Sir Meta Knight with bleach... throwing bleach on that "stylish cape", to be precise. Next up... the battle to save the Halberd.

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	29. Meta Knight's Revenge Part 3

In You're Nightmares, Meta Knight's Revenge, part 3

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and the Offhanded Chance that Awesome Jazz Music will be Playing in the Back of your Mind.

::From where we left off::

Ronic's eyes visibly widened when he saw Meta Knight flying straight for him. Suddenly, without warning, the mad halfling's form shifted into wispy shadows, allowing the star warrior to go right through him. Meta Knight twisted around, only to see the miniature lunatic reforming, with an insufferable smirk on his face, looking upwards.

Meta Knight chanced a glance over his shoulder, and a good thing too. Three of Daisy's summoned fiends were flying in fast. Large, dull brown wyverns to be exact. During Nightmare's absence, Riley sure had made a lot of modifications to the wraith lord's created monsters. These things were much nastier then Meta Knight had remembered back from his days with the G.S.A.

Ronic laughed maniacally as Meta Knight ducked out of the way of the stinger at the end of one wyvern's tail, while stabbing upright into it's gut with the dragon fang knife. Another beast came in for the next attack, only to be sliced in half by Galaxia, sending it's disintegrating pieces down to the sand below. The two remaining beasts swooped in to strike again, tail stingers and wicked sharp talons at the ready. Meta Knight concentrated, then summoned his duel sword beam, cleaving through the two demons and grazing Ronic in the process.

"Damn it, man! Oh you're good!" Ronic snarled, glancing to his bleeding arm.

He felt something sticky trailing down his face, then realized that it was blood. There was a pretty nasty cut from the sword beam, scarring his once flawless face, "I ought to soak you in bleach!"

"You'll have to catch me first!" Meta Knight growled, angering Ronic further.

The blue puffball leaped for Ronic again, but the madman avoided the attack, sifting back into black shadows, then reappeared behind Meta Knight. It was then Meta Knight realized that the wyrmrot must not have gone through the sword beam. He would have to land a physical strike on this little crackpot.

"Sounds like a game invite to me!" Ronic cackled, waving his hands around, conjuring up another spell.

Meanwhile, on the Redsun's and Joe's side of the brawl, things were not going quite as smoothly as they had planned. Kautounie, having suffered a gunshot to the shoulder before the fight even really began, was wading her way through Daisy's pack of summoned hell hounds while Knuckle Joe attacked the demonologist directly. Neo, meanwhile, had taken a pounding from the possessed King Dedede. The king already had a couple brightly colored arrows piecing his body, though he didn't seem to notice nor was he really hindered. And every time Neo would make a move to free their imprisoned celestial beast, King Dedede would stop her.

"I didn't want to do this!" Neo growled, summoning a bolt of lightning from her hand and sending it straight for the self-proclaimed king.

The force of the spell sent Dedede tumbling across the deck of the Halberd, nearly into Bruno and Kirby. In fact, Kirby had to roll out of the way to avoid being crushed by the portly penguinoid. King Dedede grunted loudly, then leveled his glazed over glare to the zwetoock cub and reclaimed his mallet.

"Neo!" Kautounie howled, finishing off a snarling hell hound.

Taking this opportunity, Neo cast a Group Healing spell, since she may not have another opening to cast again. Kautounie felt renewed as the pain in her shoulder faded away, and any injuries the others had suffered vanished as well, including Razorbeak. With his strength restored, the gryphon broke free from his captors. Razorbeak slaughtered one of the demon beasts with a swing of his powerful claws, then clamped down with his beak to finish it off. While the savage demons battled the gryphon, the Waddle Dees fled from the battle and back into the ship.

"Fly, Razorbeak!" Neo shouted, shooting an incoming demon beast before making a mad dash out of King Dedede's way.

While Neo resumed her battle with the king, Knuckle Joe had plenty of his own problems. Sure, Kautounie had done a good job keeping most of the demons away from him, the key word being 'most'. Daisy giggled insufferably as her pet hell hound tore through the flesh of Joe's leg with a swipe of it's sharp claws.

"Lousy demon beasts!" Knuckle Joe growled, retaliating with a Vulcan Jab, right to the throat.

Daisy's giggling stopped once the hell hound let out a gargled yelp, then burst into flames, "Why you little shit! We all should have done away with you on day one!"

"Yeah, you should have, ya stupid bitch!" Knuckle Joe snorted.

"Perhaps then, your mother and father would not have been spent so foolishy!" Kautounie added, kicking a hell hound off the edge of the warship before beheading another one.

"Better watch out! Smash Punch!"

Snarling, Daisy cast her shield of earth to protect herself from Knuckle Joe's attack, then used the summoned sand and rock as a battering ram against Knuckle Joe, sending him sprawling across the deck.

"Hmph, so this is the son of the great Star Warrior, Jecra, huh?! I doubt Holy Nightmare would even waste his time with you!" she taunted, "Sir Jecra was a far better demon beast then he was a father, I'll say that much, hon!"

Knuckle Joe was just angry before, now he was pissed. How dare this hellion speak about his departed father in that way!

"Don't... talk... about...my... father... LIKE THAT!"

He forced himself to his feet, and without even looking, lobbed a Vulcan Jab to the side, taking out the last remaining hell hound on his and Kautounie's end. Now the elder zwetoock rounded on Daisy as well, blood soaked Defender poised to strike.

"Darlins', you got a lot to learn about the Prescotts!" Daisy sighed, tipping her hat in mock courtesy, "You know Kautounie, sweetie, I was just gonna outright kill your brother for what he did to my ma and daddy, but now I'm glad Ronic stopped me. I think it will be much more satisfying to see just what kind of demon beast Holy Nightmare will turn him into! Maybe he'll be somethin' like his daddy. His REAL daddy!"

She smiled insufferably, one Kautounie longed to tear off her face. The witch knew what she was doing. Daisy, just like her sister, knew how to rile up her enemies.

Meanwhile, Sword Kirby was finding out first hand just how oblivious Bruno was to harm. He had tried everything! Thrusts and slashes, downwards and upwards. The most Sword Kirby was doing was scratch Bruno's armor every now and again... when he was lucky.

"Poyo?!" Kirby cried out in alarm.

"Easy there, you could get hurt." Bruno said, bending down to the pink puffball's level.

Kirby tensed up, though he quickly found himself ducking out of the way, lest the tumbling King Dedede pound him into the deck. For the first time it seemed, the portly penguin had no interest in Kirby; his possessed sights were set on Neo. King Dedede slammed into Bruno, barely moving the hulking human about an inch, then reclaimed his mallet before going back into the fray.

"Hey, watch where-" Bruno started.

"Poyo!" Sword Kirby said, doing his best to block Bruno's path.

He panted heavily, though the scratches and bruises he had received during battle had faded away, thanks to Neo's healing spell. Out the corner of his eye, Kirby could make out the young Redsun and the king in their brawl, along with Knuckle Joe and Kautounie fighting Daisy. Razorbeak had been freed, and was now taking out the other surrounding demon beasts, taking a huge strain off the star warriors' shoulders. However, he felt his heart sink when he saw his beloved teacher struggling against Ronic. Kirby couldn't really make out what the madman was doing with Meta Knight, only that it couldn't have been good.

"Medi Kni!" Kirby cried out.

Sword Kirby tried circling around Bruno, but the hulk stomped right in his way. There might have been only one thing this lout would understand! Kirby narrowed his eyes and began to concentrate.

*Neo and King Dedede/Knuckle Joe and Kautounie vs. Daisy Prescott*

King Dedede may have been a big, dumb guy, but he sure knew how to swing a hammer! He had taken Neo by surprise when the haft of his mallet extended and sent the hammerhead spinning like a drill right for the zwetoock cub. Neo, this time bringing up a shield of fire, dodged the strike, sending the remaining flames for the mind-warped king. Grunting, she loaded two arrows into her bow at the same time _,_ quite a risky feat, but one that paid off. Both arrows struck the intended target, making King Dedede look more like a pin cushion.

"He's going to be really pissed once he snaps out of it!" Neo muttered to herself, counting about six arrows lodged into the portly king's flesh.

But that wasn't stopping him. If anything, he simply ignored them. Neo had to give King Dedede kudos for that one; he was certainly hardy, but naturally she preferred fighting by his side rather then against him. She snapped out of her thoughts as King Dedede suddenly sprang into the air, (to quite an impressive height for a being of his girth, I might add), then slammed down to the deck below, crushing Neo under his weight and sending Heartseeker skittering out of her hands and out of reach. The zwetoock yelped in pain as she struggled to free herself. Neo knew she had to escape, and fast before that mallet started swinging down upon her. She lit her hand ablaze with bright pink and orange flames, then set her hand on the king's foot. That finally got the mallet-wielding penguin's attention.

King Dedede stumbled back, awkwardly trying to pat out the fire that Neo had set on his foot that almost caught his robes on fire as well, all the while stepping on the zwetoock's tail as he moved, making it the second time in one day.

"Oww! Son of a-" Neo yelped, peeling herself off the deck.

"Whatcha waitin' for, Dedede, sugar?" Daisy asked, "Pound that bitch flat!"

Kautounie was furious, but seeing her little sis in danger, she forgot about her personal want to tear Daisy to ribbons, and leaped forward to the aid of her sister, only to be stopped as an ethereal chain wrapped itself around her neck, jerking her back to the ground.

"Hmhmhmmmm." Daisy laughed, tightening her grip on the chain whip she held in her dainty hands.

Geez, what was with the Prescotts and chains? Kautounie didn't have much time nor the interest to have that question answered at this minute. She could see Knuckle Joe preparing to use a Round House kick, only to have Daisy protect herself with the use of her earth shield.

"Hmph, try this out, honey!" Daisy taunted, _"Demora Taashie!"_

The witch raised her hands in somatic gestures, then created a shimmering, golden fanged monster's skull. With a screech and a roar, the summoned spell plowed it's way through Kautounie, Neo, and Knuckle Joe, though oddly enough it had no effect of King Dedede or any of Daisy's other demon beast allies. Before Kautounie or Knuckle Joe could fully recover from the shock of her spell, the other end of Daisy's ethereal chain wrapped itself around the fighter elf, pinning his arms to his side.

"It was fun while it lasted, darlins'!" Daisy snickered, "But see ya'll in hell!"

"No! Kautounie! Joe!" Neo howled as her sister and friend were yanked backwards by the chain binding them towards the deck's edge.

Daisy laughed cruelly as the chain whip unfurled, sending Kautounie and Knuckle Joe over the edge of the warship and plummeting to the ground below. Neo could hear their cries, and Kautounie calling out her name. There was a loud screech, and a blur of gold and brown whipping right past the witch, nearly knocking her off balance.

Neo yelped once King Dedede started up his assault again. She grabbed an arrow out of her quiver and drove it into the king with her hand, finally causing him to wince in pain.

 _"_ _Serafina Siphon!"_ Neo shouted, placing her hand on the king's bleeding body, choking back the tears threatening to form in her eyes.

He seized up as his strength started to drain. Neo struggled to keep her hold on the spell, though it became much easier once Dedede's massive amount of strength began to flow into her. Eventually, the portly penguin slumped down to the ground, out cold. Neo turned her fierce, amber gaze to Daisy, drawing her wand.

"Hmph, let's see what I'm gonna do with you, darlin'!" Daisy taunted, readying another chain whip, "Now that the twit and dear sweet sissy is gone and splattered in the sand somewhere!"

Outraged with grief, Neo fired a lightning bolt from the tip of her wand. A small amount got through the earth shield Daisy defended herself with, but not nearly enough to stop her. The zwetoock could see Kirby and Meta Knight, struggling with their own battles. She could hear Kirby crying out Knuckle Joe's and Kautounie's names, right before he was forced back into battle by Bruno.

Neo fired another bolt of lightning for Daisy, only to have this one miss entirely. With a flick of her whip, the witch sent Neo's wand flying out of her hand and rolling along the deck. Snarling, Neo reached for her Magnum revolver, the last weapon she carried.

"Don't even think about it, hon'!" Daisy warned, wrapping her chain whip around the younger sorceress' neck and dragging her closer, "You're one Holy Nightmare is gonna want to take a look at!"

Neo choked and gasped for air, then something caught her eye. Rising in the air behind Daisy, was none other then the gryphon, Razorbeak, carrying two riders on his back. Kautounie and Knuckle Joe... they were still alive! And with decidedly grim expressions on their faces.

"Huh?" Daisy asked, turning around to see just what Neo was staring at.

She screamed fearfully as Razorbeak dove straight for her, knocking her off her feet and onto her back. The ethereal chain around Neo's neck disintegrated, leaving the young zwetoock on her hands and knees, gasping for air. She glanced over just enough to see the gryphon ripping into the witch in savage fury while his riders disembarked. Daisy was coughing up blood, and had even lost a few fingers during the mauling, making spell casting with somatic gestures near impossible.

"Thank you, Razorbeak!" Kautounie said, patting the beast's mane with her free hand.

"H-how could y-ya'll?!" Daisy squealed, holding onto her gut with one arm as the gryphon got off of her.

"We'll see YOU in Hell, bitch!" Knuckle Joe growled, while Kautounie picked up Daisy by the neck, making sure to dig in her claws as she did so.

"Maybe you shouldn't have attacked my brother, my sister, or my friends!" Kautounie snarled, putting away her Defender as to use both bare hands on the witch.

Daisy choked and struggled to free herself from the angry zwetoock's grasp. Kautounie could see the fear in the young occultist's eyes, not only that, she reeked of it!

"I-it was n-never supposed to end this way!" Daisy gasped.

"I'll make sure to send Riley your head... darlin'! I don't think she or Nightmare got my last message quite clear enough! Say hi to your ma and daddy for me... IN HELL!"

And with that, Kautounie dug in her claws one last time before tossing Daisy over the Halberd's edge, sending her screaming to a painful death below. She quivered slightly, the smell of blood becoming much stronger, nearly causing her to loose what sanity remained. Then she remembered. Neo!

"She's fine, Kautounie." Knuckle Joe mentioned, helping the 'overgrown furball' to her feet.

Kautounie rushed to her sister's side, nuzzling her warmly, heedless of all the blood smears she transferred to her younger sister. Neither one seemed to care at this point.

"I'm alright... but I think... they could use our help." Neo gasped.

"I think... you already have." Kautounie said, gesturing towards Kirby.

"Hang on Kirby, we're commin'!" Knuckle Joe shouted.

With King Dedede out cold and Daisy dead, the Redsuns, Joe, and Razorbeak knew their job was not yet over. Not hardly. There was still a madman to take down and a ship to reclaim!

*Kirby and Bruno*

As Kirby and Bruno dueled, (if you could really call it that), the smaller pink warrior felt his energy renewed and strengthened the closer he got... to Ronic.

"Poyo, Bruno!" Sword Kirby growled, summoning his Sword Beam.

The crescent shaped blade of light plowed through the ship's deck, catching Bruno in it's path. Sword Kirby glanced up as the light trailed off. He cried out in surprise to see that Bruno was STILL standing, though to be fair, he did look a bit dazed. Progress, anyways.

"Oh... poyo..." Sword Kirby moaned, suddenly wondering what he had gotten himself into.

"Hey... that... that... kinda hurt there, little fella." Bruno stammered, lifting up his massive pike breaker, "You could really hurt someone with that thing."

Kirby only had a bit of time to process what Bruno had just said to him, (yeah, using swords to hurt your opponent before they hurt you was sort of the general idea), before the hulking landmass drove his own blade into the deck, nearly crushing little Kirby under it's bulk.

The pink puffball began dodging multiple strikes dished out by Bruno. He could tell that this guy was never properly trained how to use a sword. Though that really didn't matter when Kirby couldn't tell if Bruno was trying to capture him or split him in two! The young warrior cried out, holding his shoulder as the tip of the sword made contact with his small body. Blunt blade or not, it still hurt!

All around him, Kirby could see the battles his companions endured. Neo was nearly flattened by King Dedede's massive size, and Knuckle Joe and Kautounie struggled against Daisy and her demonic sorcery. Sword Kirby didn't have time to admire the show. Suddenly, Meta Knight's lessons and what he had been telling him to focus on the fight at hand was pounded into him... literally. The little warrior was batted away with a single stroke of Bruno's pike breaker sword.

"Poy-poyo-o-o-o..." Kirby yelped, finally sliding to a stop.

The little guy was more battered by his tumbling across the deck more so then the cut caused by Bruno's blunt blade. Unwillingly, Kirby had given up his sword ability, hacking and coughing violently as the Winterclaw slid from his tiny hands. He painfully opened up one eye, shrinking back as Bruno stomped forward. Things weren't looking so good for Knuckle Joe, Kautounie, and Neo either. He cried out when he saw Daisy's ethereal chains fling Joe and Kautounie off the edge of the Halberd, sending them free falling to the sand below.

"Joe, Kauto! Poyo!"

He wanted to help them, save them, but the young warrior's chance to aid his companions were dashed in a second. Suddenly, Bruno's massive sword cut through the air, smashing through the Halberd's deck, effectively halting Kirby and keeping him right where he was. There was a loud screech, but Kirby couldn't really make out where it had come from, along with Neo's agonized and pained screams.

Towards the end of the deck, Ronic and Meta Knight were still locked in their duel, which for some baffling reason to Kirby, did not appear to be at all in his teacher's favor.

"Joe and Kauto!" Kirby cried out, scrambling to reach his sword.

He yelped in pain, rolling out of the way as Bruno bent down to try and grab him. Naturally, Kirby shot the massive human a nasty glare. Then something unexpected by either of the two happened, nearly back to back. First, Neo's ivory wand rolled right under Bruno's legs, within easy reach. Next, to Kirby's relief and Bruno's confusion, Razorbeak tackled Daisy to the deck, and who should be on the fine beast's back? Why, Kautounie and Knuckle Joe! Kirby couldn't suppress his smile. His friends were still alive! But if he wanted to be alive with them, he'd have to act fast.

"Hey, what just-?" Bruno began, his train of strained thought interrupted by a powerful vortex being created by Kirby as he began his inhale.

Before Bruno could ask anymore dumb questions, Kirby sucked up Neo's wand and transformed. When finished, he wore a two pointed jester's cap, the left side being solid red and the other side orange with white stars. It Kirby's hand was a wand of his own, gold, topped with a blue orb.

"Poyo, lash foes with a whiplike beam! Hit and Cycle! Grab and capture! Poyo, spin in midair for a revolution!" Beam Kirby announced, pointing his wand at Bruno.

"Hey that's kind of-hey!" Bruno yelped, suddenly finding himself being lashed with an electrified whip.

If Kirby couldn't fight Bruno to well at close range, it was time to put some distance between the two of them. He threw an anxious glance to where his mentor and Ronic battled, and it looked like the elder veteran could use some assistance.

"Poyo, Medi Kni!" he called.

*Meta Knight and Ronic*

Shouting arcane words wildly, Ronic began flinging as many spells as he had right for Meta Knight. The elder warrior suppressed the urge to wince or shout out as he was pelted by an array of magic missiles, fire, electricity, and even a shadowy pulse.

"Heheheheeeeee!" Ronic cackled maniacally, "Had enough, yet, you silly Dreamlander keeennnnnnnnnighit?"

"That merely tickled!" Meta Knight grunted, transforming his cape into bat wings again.

Ronic only scowled as the star warrior leaped forward, using his Galaxia Drill. With another laugh, the halfling evaded, letting the sacred blade go right through him. Next, Meta Knight used a mach tornado, using both Galaxia and his dragon fang knife to whip up a deadly cyclone.

"This is too easy, keennnighit!" Ronic taunted, "And I dislike being bored!"

Meta Knight felt his temper rising as he became more and more frustrated. If he could just land a single physical hit, he'd stop this lunatic right in his tracks. A few more swings, that much more misses, Meta Knight knew he could not afford to get sloppy in his anger. Well, perhaps another Sword Beam would get his point across!

The armored puffball summoned his duel Sword Beams once again, sending Ronic sliding across the deck. Ronic glared up at the star warrior as Meta Knight approached, ready to bring his golden blade right down into the mad halfling's head. With a laugh and a smile, Ronic shifted back into his shadowy form and sifted safely out of the way, reappearing about ten feet or so away from Meta Knight, near the end of the deck.

"Ohhh... can't you just find a happy medium, already?!" Ronic complained, wiping the blood off his black leather armor, "I mean, not too easy, but where I can still win?"

Meta Knight only growled, "No!"

As he began his approach again, he stopped suddenly as Ronic's words began to fill his head and consume his thoughts. Meta Knight couldn't understand why, but the suggestions clouding his mind began to sound so appealing!

 _"_ _Go on, Sir Meta Knight, fetch your apprentice and bring him to me. Holy Nightmare will only need you both for a moment. Once you've done that, I'll give you back your ship."_

For a split second, Meta Knight almost obliged with the absurd request. Suddenly, he halted, then spun around, sending another Sword Beam in Ronic's direction, "Do you honestly think that I would do such a thing for you, Ronic?!" he snarled.

Frantic, Ronic ducked out of the way of this most recent Sword Beam, a look of shear madness clouding his eyes, "Well, I don't know, it worked pretty well on your two pets!"

Meta Knight didn't like it at all when his two loyal knaves were referred to as 'his pets'. But he knew he had to keep a level head, lest this gremlin get into it again. Though Ronic's cackling didn't help at all!

"Here little knight..." Ronic taunted, holding out his finger like he was beckoning to a dog, "I have something for you. Come to me... in the light."

Meta Knight narrowed his eyes at Ronic. Just what was this little creep's angle? Ronic's grin widened as he taunted the old warrior further. Meta Knight spread his wings and sprang forward, Galaxia held out in front of him. He convulsed violently as some unseen force halted him right in his tracks, just a few feet away from the deranged lunatic. Meta Knight couldn't help but shiver at the chilling touch that crawled up his back, then began tightening it's grip around his neck, making breathing very difficult. The blue puffball gagged and coughed as he was pushed to the deck and pinned to the floor, hardly able to move, and his breathing became labored.

He could hear Kirby call out his name, though he was unable to call back. Meta Knight couldn't understand. Just what was Ronic doing? The halfling wasn't moving a muscle. He was just standing there. But then Meta Knight saw something moving amongst the light of the desert sun beating down on the Halberd's deck. It wasn't Ronic, rather, it was his shadow! His shadow was moving of it's own accord, attacking Meta Knight through his own shadow.

"What... sorcery... is... -cough-... this?" Meta Knight wheezed out, painfully.

"Now you understand why I like the desert so much," Ronic explained, "Lots and lots of bright, harsh, light! Strange they call us Shadow Masters, when light lends us it's power!"

Meta Knight would have cried out in pain, if he could get any sound to come out. Even as the sunlight was beating down, the chilling feeling flowing throughout his body only became worse the longer Ronic's shadow stayed latched on to his.

"Now you know why my name is Ronic Shadowchoker!" Ronic snickered.

And now Dr. Knarks' prior warning made sense.

Meta Knight struggled to his feet, straining against the hold Ronic's shadow had on him. If he was going down, he would go down fighting, not writhing in pain! This only made Ronic laugh harder. Meta Knight could feel his life force draining away and his vision blurred. He could faintly hear Kirby and the rest of his teammates calling his name, but they sounded like they were miles away.

Ronic was about to start up another one of his taunts, before finally snuffing out the brave Star Warrior for good, but his thoughts were instantly consumed by Bruno as the hulk stumbled backwards from a surprisingly hard hit from Beam Kirby. The little pink puff battled more fiercely then ever before, determined to aid his weakening mentor... and Sundar save anyone that got in his way!

"Bruno-don't!" Ronic screamed, holding up his arms as the armored landmass nearly crashed into him.

It was either be crushed, or move away. Ronic shifted back into his shadowy form to sift safely out of the way, but the damage had already been done. As soon as Bruno's bulk blotted out the sunlight fueling Ronic's demented shadow, Meta Knight gasped as fresh air filled his lungs.

"Whoa, that little guy is-" Bruno moaned, dazed.

"Bruno, YOU MORON!" Ronic shouted, "Get, GET OUT OF THE F***ING WAY!"

He took a quick look around, as if he only now realized that King Dedede was sprawled out on the deck, and Daisy was nowhere to be seen, though the blood covering Kautounie's paws and mouth answered that question pretty quickly. As Bruno stumbled out of the light to let Ronic's independent shadow make it's next strike, Razorbeak leaped into the air, casting his own shadow over the battlefield, ruining Ronic's plans once again.

"Damn, I should have killed that bird!" Ronic snarled.

Meta Knight didn't hesitate. He rushed forward, Galaxia held out in front, and dove straight for the mad halfling. He heard a startled yelp, but little more then that. There didn't appear to be much damage, other then a small, clean cut along Ronic's hand. Then Meta Knight glanced to the fresh blood coating the tip on Galaxia, a smile concealed behind his mask.

Ronic glanced down, then realized that his satchel was missing. Before he or Bruno could grab it, Beam Kirby opened his mouth and swallowed it, keeping it forever out of the lunatic's reach.

"No!" Ronic shouted, "Not my Star Rod! Shit!"

"Medi Kni! Poyo, poyo! Ours!" Beam Kirby chided, twirling his wand.

"I don't think so! Now you fluffballs shall feel the full force of my... of my... oh... shit..." Ronic stammered, suddenly finding himself unable to cast any spells, "I shall have too... I shall have too... give up completely. Sorry, so sorry, sorry everyone!"

Razorbeak landed, ruffling his feathers and lashing his tail. Neo had reclaimed her bow, and Kautounie took Matilda off her back. While Joe and the sisters rounded on the halfling and his bodyguard, Kirby and Meta Knight were already there, both looking quite angry. Ronic tried casting his spells again in an effort to catch the two puffballs of guard after his supposed 'surrender', but not so much as a fizzle came out.

After all his bragging and taunting, Ronic suddenly found himself helpless, facing down the Star Warriors like they were a pack of hungry wolverines.

"I'll protect you!" Bruno announced proudly, stepping in front of his master.

"WHY OH WHY DID I EVER FORGET TO WEAR MY PANTS TO SCHOOL?!" Ronic bellowed, cowering as Meta Knight approached.

Bruno steadied himself, raising his massive pike breaker, then stopped, as if he suddenly forgot what he was supposed to do.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" Ronic shouted.

"What was I supposed to do again?" Bruno asked, stupidly.

Beam Kirby could tell just by the look in Meta Knight's eyes what the elder warrior was about the do next. Galaxia began to glow fiercely with power while Meta Knight grabbed a corner of his cape. Without a word, the smaller pink puff just got out of his way.

"Oh boy, this ought to be epic!" Neo commented.

Ronic and Bruno both found themselves screaming as Meta Knight cast a shadow of his own down upon them with a flap of his cape, "BEHOLD!" Meta Knight announced, enveloping the halfling and human in a total blackout.

The two of them found themselves frozen, unable to move, then, there was a bright flash of gold and crippling pain, sending the two Nightmare worshipers sailing off the Halberd and towards the merciless sands below.

"I REGREAT NOTHING!" Ronic shouted, before he and Bruno were both out of view.

Meta Knight closed his golden eyes, breathing heavily. It was over, it was finally over. Ronic and Bruno were defeated, their enslaved companions were freed, and Daisy was slaughtered.

"Poyo... we did it. Halberd... yours now." Beam Kirby said, smiling up at his mentor.

It felt good to be Captain once again, to ride the skies aboard his beloved ship. But there was still a lot of work to be done.

"Congratulations, Captain Meta Knight!" Kautounie praised, while she nuzzled her sister in a loving embrace.

Meta Knight nodded in thanks, his proud smile hidden by his armor, though anyone who looked hard enough could see the pride beaming through his eyes as they shifted from gold to blue. Razorbeak clicked his beak with pride as he sat down, gracefully folding his wings and curling his tail around his feet. The triumphant moment was cut short when King Dedede started to stir and moan. Neo, (after slipping out of Kautounie's arms,) and Kirby rushed to his side, gently placing their hands on the wounded king, beckoning him to lay still.

"What-what happened? Where's that... ow... little shortie? I'll wallop him *groan* good and- how did I get here?" King Dedede asked, looking around in confusion, "Kirby? That you? Neo? What-what's goin' on round' here?"

He certainly didn't remember Kirby, Meta Knight, Kautounie, Neo, or Knuckle Joe being on the Halberd. Wait a sec, Knuckle Joe? When did he get here?! But that would have to wait, as the portly king studied himself and discovered where all the sharp pains in his body were coming from, "Who gone and shot me... owwwww... full of arrows? I've got... more holes in me then Swiss cheese!"

"Sorry... your majesty." Neo apologized, "You were under a Charming Curse and I had to protect myself. If it makes you feel any better, you gave me a pretty good pounding."

King Dedede was about to retort, though he found himself blacking out again. But Neo knew that the damage wouldn't be permanent. Right now, the king just needed some rest and perhaps a healing spell or three. Gently, the little healer began to pull the arrows out, curing each wound as she did, though the zwetoock cub herself began to get lightheaded and weakened from her continual spell casting. Kirby gently patted the king's robed back, letting out a softly spoken 'poyo.' In all honesty, the little guy had missed Dedede to some extent.

"Say Kautounie, Meta Knight, do you think...whoaaa... you could help me move him down to the infirmary?" Neo asked, stumbling a little as the Halberd rocked, "We'll need to gather the others too and fully take care of their injuries a well."

Just as Meta Knight was about to oblige the young zwetoock, he suddenly keeled over, much to the panic of his apprentice. Kirby bounded to Meta Knight's side and tried to help his mentor stand, but the old knight wasn't budging. Neo and Knuckle Joe rushed to Meta Knight as well, but it was soon discovered that the caption had merely fallen asleep. Naturally, this day had been one long battle, starting from before the sun was even up! Battling, flying, reclaiming a ship, quite a busy day for all of them. He was simply exhausted.

"Poyo, Medi Kni!" Kirby cried, placing his hand on Meta Knight's slowly rising and lowering stomach.

"I guess he just needs some sleep too." Neo sighed, "Don't you worry, Kirby, he'll be just fine!"

"Well, he got his ship back, and Kirby didn't crash it either." Knuckle Joe commented, smiling as he ruffed up Kirby's head.

Neo bent down and lifted Meta Knight up. As she held the blue puffball in her arms, she couldn't help but feel just how plush and cuddly he was under that tough armored exterior. In fact, he was a lot like Kirby, down to the supple, velvety feel of his skin. Meta Knight moaned softly and shifted in the healer's arms, "Please... put...me...down...zzzzzzzzzzzz."

"Like I said, just fine." Neo sighed.

Meta Knight barely opened one amber eye, then closed it again. He didn't like to be carried, and this was the second time this day. But he became much more compliant when the healer's gentle touch ran down his shoulders, causing him to go limp and relax. A low, rumbling purr could be heard coming from the exhausted warrior as he slept.

There was more work to be done before the entire team could rest. Right now, there were wounded to take care of and a ship to land. Razorbeak had already gone ahead to clear out any remaining stragglers while Neo was getting set to take Meta Knight down to the infirmary.

"What are we going to do with him?" Kautounie asked, glancing to King Dedede.

"Leave Tubby there." Knuckle Joe snorted.

Neo gave the little fighter a filthy look before answering, "We'll need some help moving him, unless you've got enough stamina left for a Telekinesis spell."

"Poyo." Kirby suggested, gesturing towards the front of the deck.

The team was slightly alarmed at first when a small band of Waddle Dees approached. When they were about five or so feet away, the little critters saluted, then they picked up the unconscious body of their king. Neo gazed at the Waddle Dees quizzically. They weren't too big on words, so one could only guess at what they were saying.

"Do you... want to help us?" Kautounie asked.

The Waddle Dee at the front nodded. Neo sighed contently; ever since she first saw these creatures back at Castle Dedede for the first time, she thought they were positively adorable. Neo adjusted Meta Knight, making it so he'd be easier to carry and more comfortable, then followed the Waddle Dees back inside the Halberd. Kirby yelped softly, more from being startled rather then pain, when Kautounie lifted him up and held him gently.

"That's what ya get for lookin' so damn cute!" Knuckle Joe snorted, smirking up to his friends.

Kirby didn't mind being carried one bit. In fact, he quickly settled against Kautounie's soft, warm fur and dozed off as they followed after Neo and the pack of Waddle Dees.

*Some Undisclosed Amount of Time Later that Evening, Halberd Infirmary*

Neo collapsed on a nearby bed, on the verge of passing out. But, at least she had help with her patients. Okay, so it did take a bit of explaining; how would you explain to a terrified cappy doctor what you were doing holding one of Dreamland's favorite celebrities, out cold, in your arms? Thankfully, Kirby was there to help straighten everything out with his presence alone.

After calming down, Dr. Yabui, as he was known, along with some of the Waddle Dees, had assisted Neo greatly. As of right now, King Dedede, Meta Knight, Tiff, and Geoffrey, were resting comfortably in their beds, and Neo had just finished patching up the last of their companions. Escargoon had stayed behind to help out, or possibly spy on his own king, at this point, Neo didn't really care. She was exhausted. The healer opened up one amber eye and her tail lightly thumped up and down when an armored hand was placed gently on her head, lightly stroking her soft fur. Neo smiled at the two knaves she had come to adore.

"Miss Neo, we'll be fine." Sword Knight insisted, holding his bandaged hand.

"You ought to 'et 'ome rest, 'urse'lf." Blade Knight added, nodding.

The two knaves glanced to their sleeping master and the others in the infirmary. They didn't really remember much that had happened the last week or so. Mostly, it was darkness, and the few waking moments they did have, the two of them were attacking Meta Knight of all people, and were unable to stop themselves from doing so.

"I'm glad you two are alright," Neo said, smiling gently, "I'll let you... *yawn*... know when the caption is awake."

Sword and Blade nodded once to the healer before leaving the infirmary. Bruno and Masher had done a good job mauling the Halberd from the inside and outside, and there were a lot of repairs to be done.

"Just don't overexert yourselves!" Neo reminded them.

"Don't you worry yourself, Miss Neo!" Sword said, waving to the young zwetoock.

She was happy to have those two back on their side again; everyone in fact.

With Dr. Yabui, Escargoon, and the Waddle Dees, there was enough people to watch over the patients so that she could get some much needed sleep. Neo sighed quietly to herself, smiling when she saw Kirby snuggling up next to Tiff. The little guy sure was happy to have his big sister back. Speaking of big sisters, Kautounie sure had been gone for a while, along with Knuckle Joe. Sometime late that evening, possibly early morning, Knuckle Joe and Kautounie had reported finding Daisy's mangled body, but there was no sign of Ronic or Bruno anywhere. Any way you want to look at it, there would certainly be some interesting stories for the rest of the team once they were awake!

Neo couldn't help but notice Geoffrey shift and moan in his sleep. Figures, the guy wasn't used to sleeping in a bed! Tiff unconsciously placed an arm around Kirby as he cuddled under the blankets with her, though he was still keeping watch over Meta Knight and King Dedede as well. Strangely enough, the little pink puffball had always liked the king, even though there were plenty of times he should have been afraid of him, especially in the past. Held tightly in Kirby's hands was the Star Rod piece they had all been working so hard to reform, and it seemed to have already had one more piece melded onto it already. Kirby, his mentor, and his team not only won back the Halberd and reclaimed the Star Rod shard, they had also reclaimed their family and friends. All things considered, a good end to a very busy day!

*Somewhere in the Serpent's Eye*

Meanwhile, wondering the endless sea of sand and dunes, two lone figures, one huge and the other small, fought to contain what was left of their sanity, or at least one of them was. The hulking knight had a huge chunk missing from his armor, and for the last few hours, was trying to figure out what that uncomfortable feeling flowing throughout his body was.

"Damn, I never felt anything like this before..." Bruno muttered, scratching his head.

"Shut up... just... shut the...hehehehaaaaaaa...f*** up, Bruno!" Ronic cackled, as he shook violently in rage and grief.

The little halfling was a mess, and still unable to use his sorcery. His once sleek black hair was a ragged mess, he was covered in scrapes and scratches, and was left with nothing but the tattered clothing and armor he stood in. Across his chest was a huge slash wound, from where Galaxia Darkness had struck.

"One day, Lady Riley, you shall be mine! I'll find them again... I'll find them for you, milady, and when I do... I'll do worse then drown that blue puffkin in bleach!" Ronic pledged, a crazy smile forming on his face, "Behold! Behold he said to me! Well just you wait, Meta Knight! Behold this! I'll make sure your death is slow... painful... and requires ten separate coffins!"

"How are we gonna do that from here, boss?" Bruno asked, stupidly.

"GAAAHHHHHH!"

 **Author's Notes::** I give to you the conclusion of Meta Knight's Revenge. Dear Sundar, isn't Ronic just on of the biggest pains in the ass? I for one think so. Massive multi-way brawl, and I'll say I really enjoyed writing the fight between Neo and Dedede of all people. They've got such different fighting styles, it was quite a unique experience. I for one kinda like using a hybrid of the anime's Dedede and the Dedede from the Kirby games. He's quite hardy in a scrap fest, (trust me, he KNOWS full well how to swing that two-ton hammer,) and not quite as dim-witted. (But he and Tiff still get along about as well as a cobra and a mongoose.) XD

Poor Meta Knight, I think he's getting to old for this shit.

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	30. Victory, I told you it was my Destiny

In You're Nightmares, Victory, I told you it was my Destiny

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Many Happy Reunitings, Plus Something you all Probably saw Coming, but We'll Just Act like it's a Surprise.

'Victory is my destiny! The Halberd has been reclaimed; though I admit, I could not have done it alone. My companions were there every step of the way... some of them even in my way. I am proud to see how far they have come in these dangerous times, especially my apprentice! It feels good to be Captain of the Halberd again. But what I do not understand... I find myself... very... very... tired.'

The Thoughts of Sir Meta Knight

'Indeed it is, Sir Meta Knight, indeed it is! Horva is now free of three Prescotts and a good chunk of Nightmare's army has been wiped out! Damn, Dr. Knarks' Celestial Beast worked very well! Our gryphon was most helpful in reclaiming the Halberd. Any stragglers left on board have been offed and the prisoners kept in the brig, Tiff's pack among them, have been freed. After Sword and Blade landed this thing, safely I might add, Knuckle Joe and I took a look around the battle sights and even out into the desert. We found Daisy's corpse and brought it back, but there was no sign of Ronic and Bruno. Hmmm, maybe Galaxia just obliterated them completely. Right now, I couldn't give a shit either way. I've got a 'gift' to send Riley and Nightmare. Now, how do these monster transporter things work again?'

The Thoughts of Kautounie Redsun

'Huh? I'm awake! Of course I am! There's patients to look after! I had a rather interesting meeting with Cappy Town's former doctor, Dr. Yabui, an strange little Cappy with a bushy gray mustache and thick goofy glasses. Seriously, how can he see out of those? Anyways, he probably thought I was one of Nightmare's monsters at first, come to devourer him and Meta Knight. Poor guy didn't remember much after Ronic had ensnared him. None of the madman's former mind-warped slaves did. I am pleased to report that my patients are healing and resting well. Geoffrey, Tiff, and King Dedede have both woken up a few times during the night, though I doubt they will remember. But Meta Knight has been out of it! He may try to be secretive, but a healer knows these things; Meta Knight hadn't been sleeping well up until now.'

The Thoughts of Neo Redsun

'What, where am... oh...hi...? We haven't done this in a while…. I'd like to get my hands... on the guy with the sledge hammer, pounding away at my head, that's for sure. In all honesty, I don't really remember much after that bruiser Bruno nabbed me. But I was having some really... crazy... dreams. I mean, I was battling Meta Knight, Knuckle Joe, and my own sisters, pftt, can you believe that? Anyway... wake me up in an hour or so... zzzzzzzzz.'

The Thoughts of Geoffrey 'Redsun' Collins

'What...what just happened? How... did I end up here? Kirby? Kirby! I'm so happy to see him again... I guess this can only mean... they beat Ronic...huh? But I don't remember much, other then a weird dream I was having... shortly after Sword and Blade took me captive... wait a sec, what were they doing taking me captive? I vaguely recall fighting against Neo and Kirby at some point, but I can't tell what's been a dream, and what's been reality at this point... Oh... zzzzzzzzz...'

The Thoughts of Tiff Ebrum

'I can't believe the furry critter that gone and shot me full of holes is the one patchin' me up! Hmmmm, odd... I don't recall doin' anything to make her so angry, but she did say somethin' about that little shortie in black, that he was controlin' me or somethin'. I don't know. At least I'm free of whatever was happenin'! You know, I never thought I would be so happy to see Kirby again. We may have had our differences in the past and many ups and downs, but you know, I think this could all work out! Heheh, I don't really think Kirby is so bad after all.'

The Thoughts of King Dedede

'Well, all I wanted was to defeat Masher once and for all, but I certainly got a lot more then I bargained for on this trip, that's for sure! Magic flinging furballs, savage hell-spitting dogs, countless crazies, and three very talented friends I will never forget! When it all comes down to it, I'm glad my ship crash landed on this crazy planet! But I'm gonna need a new mode of transport around here... hmmmm... wonder if that walkin' freak show would let me borrow that gryphon for a while?'

The Thoughts of Knuckle Joe

'Poyo! Medi Kni has his ship back... and Tiff her family. We won everything back! Even my... poyo... Star Rod... looks bigger. One piece left on Horva! Sure Kabu will tell us where to go next! Poyo... just waiting for repairs for Medi Kni's Halberd, and for Medi Kni to wake up too! Poyo! Kirby so proud! This time, no crash the ship, have Tiff and Geoff back, have Sword and Blade back too. Poyo... sleepy now...'

The Thoughts of Kirby

*Halberd Infirmary*

She didn't know how much time had passed, or even everything that had gone on the last day. All she remembered was Sword and Blade taking her to see that little madman then entering a strange dream. But if it was all a dream, then how did she wake up here? Or rather, when did she get here?

Tiff blearily opened her eyes. Across from her, she could see Geoffrey, Meta Knight, and King Dedede, sleeping comfortably in their beds. But this was... unmistakably the Halberd's infirmary. Everything was such a blur, she didn't even know who's side she was fighting for. Was it all a dream?

As all these thoughts raced through the girl's head, Tiff finally took notice of something small and cuddly nuzzling against her. At least that wasn't just a dream! Kirby really was with her!

"Kirby?" Tiff asked, lightly stroking the young warrior keeping her company.

"Poyo?" Kirby mumbled sleepily, "Poyo, Tiff, Tiff!" he chirped, wrapping his small, stubby arms around his sister as far as they would go.

The two held each other in blissful silence for what seemed like the longest time. When Kirby and Tiff let each other go, the pink puffball smiled brightly, showing Tiff the Star Rod piece that had been reclaimed.

"You... you got it back. I-I thought I lost it for good." Tiff sighed, "But... I went to their base anyway, to see if there was any chance I could get it back for you, Kirby." she added, lowering her eyes in shame.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, blinking at his sister, handing her the Star Piece.

"Kirby, I lost it once! Maybe... I'm not meant to guard it for you anymore. I-I-I failed you...and the whole team." Tiff sighed, sadly, "I was weak."

Kirby gave Tiff a saddened gaze. He didn't like seeing her like this, especially considering that it wasn't her fault. She had protected his Warp Star faithfully for years. The budding magician was much stronger then this, and Kirby knew it.

"Then you went to get it back..." muttered a familiar voice from the bed next to hers.

Startled, Tiff looked over to see Geoffrey stirring from his sleep. The rogue shifted, turning over just enough to see Tiff and Kirby. He didn't look very good, as he had a black eye and several scratches from Kautounie and Knuckle Joe pummeling him. Geoffrey's covers were removed just enough so that Tiff could see the bandages around his chest, from where Meta Knight had slashed him with Galaxia.

"But-" Tiff started.

"You went to get the Warp Star back and that took a lot of guts to do!" Geoffrey explained, "Yes it was stupid, very stupid. But was it really any dumber then what I was doing? Was it dumber then me trying to rescue you from that madman?" he added, stifling a small laugh as he remembered what had happened a few nights ago like it was a fond memory, "Weak... pffttt. Tiff... you're one of the strongest, most stubborn, and fiercest people I've ever met. You're loyalty and devotion knows no bounds. But you doubt yourself too much... and I know you're better then this. But we're still going to have a chat about this later."

Before Tiff could say anything more, Kirby gently placed his nubby hand over her mouth to prevent her from speaking. The pink puffball nodded in agreement, then glanced to Geoffrey, who in return, gave Kirby a wink. Now Tiff found herself wondering; did these two hatch this scheme all along, or where they making it up on the fly? Perhaps she would never know.

Kirby gently placed the Star Rod piece in Tiff's hands and closed her fingers around it, "Poyo, Tiff. No one more I would rather have protect this." he said, smiling.

"I wont loose it again!" Tiff answered, fighting back her tears, "I promise you, Kirby!"

Geoffrey couldn't help but feel that his job had been well done when he saw Kirby and Tiff happy together once again. Sighing contently, he glanced to the brightly colored feather which he only just now realized was in his hand. At least through this whole ordeal, he had kept his promise to his sisters. He didn't get himself killed. Though his smile turned into a frown when he saw the condition of his leather duster and kevlar vest which were hanging on the wall by a hook near his bed.

"Shit." was all the rouge said.

*A very short time later*

Tiff and Geoffrey chatted for a time, all the while Kirby would switch off who he was cuddling with. Occasionally, a Waddle Dee would trot past, or even check up on the two of them, wordlessly, then wonder over to King Dedede and Meta Knight.

"Oh... thank you." Geoffrey said, slightly confused when one of the Waddle Dees handed him a glass of water. (He didn't know which one, they all looked alike!)

"Ah, good to see you two are awake now!" Neo announced as she entered the infirmary, followed by Escargoon and a small group of Waddle Dees.

"Oh good, the brats-er-uh-kids..." Escargoon began, slowly catching and rephrasing his word choices, "His majesty and Meta Knight are all looking swell!"

"Careful, Escargoon, I've already had to crack your shell and give you a black eye, don't make me beat you up again." Neo warned playfully, narrowing her amber gaze to the snail.

Geoffrey let out a snorting laugh, only to be forced to stop when the pain became unbearable. With a sigh, Neo flicked her paw-like hand, sending a soothing healing spell through her brother's body. She then began speaking to the rouge in yips and barks, before finally kneeling by his bedside and nuzzling him warmly. As far as Tiff could tell, this must have been some sort of zwetoock greeting. Escargoon meanwhile, put some distance between himself and the agitated healer to tend to his king.

"I'm so happy to have you back, dear brother." Neo whispered, yipping contently.

"As am I, dear sister." Geoffrey answered back.

Tiff couldn't help but feel relieved. It was such a sweet sight to see the two of them together. They may not have been family by blood, but there was no mistaking the bond they shared. Like the bond she herself shared with Kirby, and even Meta Knight to some extent.

"So... what all is going on?" Tiff asked curiously, once Neo had finished greeting her brother.

"Well, Sword and Blade were able to land this thing so they could safely work on repairs with Gus and the Waddle Dees, and Knuckle Joe and Kautounie have been searching for signs of Ronic and Bruno. So far, there's not a trace of those two," Neo began, regaining her usual perky voice, "However, they did find Daisy's mangled corpse along with many provisions stamped with Nightmare's face all over them. So right now, we're repairing and stocking provisions. By the way Tiff, when you're ready, your family would very much like to see you."

Tiff couldn't have been more relieved. Her family was alive! Of course, she would like to see them.

Neo had then begun to explain what all had happened during the time they had been possessed and how they defeated Ronic and his goons, all the while, she began using her healing spells, curing any and all pain and injuries. All things considered, she herself still looked pretty ragged and tired.

"Neo... you haven't been doing this all by yourself, have you?" Tiff asked, "I mean, looking after us and everything."

"Nope, I've had a lot of help." Neo answered, gently picking up one of the Waddle Dees, "Kirby, Escargoon, Dr. Yabui, and these little guys have all been very helpful."

While Tiff and Geoffrey stretched, working out the knots that had formed in their muscles from sleeping for near a day straight, Kirby perked up, jumped off of Tiff's bed, then trotted towards Neo. At the young healer's questioning look, Kirby spat up her wand and with a cheerful 'poyo', handed it back.

"Thanks, Kirby. I was looking for that." Neo said, putting the ivory wand back in the sheath at her side... after wiping the excess saliva off, of course.

Kirby couldn't help but smile nervously, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. But hey, it was the thought that counted, right? Neo set her Waddle Dee down again so he could continue his work.

Suddenly, Kirby remembered that there was something else he needed to do. He brushed past Escargoon, startling the snail for a moment, and jumped up beside King Dedede. The portly penguin began to stir, then blearily blinked his eyes.

"Oh your majesty! Thank the stars your okay!" Escargoon cried out in relief.

"Escargoon, what's gone and happened? I could have sworn I saw Kirby and them Redsuns or whatever it is that they is... also that little punk, Knuckle Joe!" King Dedede grumbled, rubbing his head with his hand, "And what about Meta Knight? I saw him too! I can't be too sure, but I think I was attackin' them or somethin', but I can't really remember."

"Poyo... hi!" Kirby chirped happily, waving his small hand cutely.

King Dedede stared for a moment, completely confused. He didn't recall to much of what had happened, only that it felt like a very lucid dream.

"Kirby... I never thought I'd be so happy to see you again!" King Dedede exclaimed, unexpectedly scooping up the pink puffball in his arms, "Heh-heh-heh! When that spell flingin' psycho Riley invaded my castle then sent you and them others away to only the stars know where, I suddenly realized how much I really missed you!"

"Uh... sire, how hard did Neo hit you? Don't you hear the words coming out of your own mouth?" Escargoon questioned.

"Hmph, ever since Nightmare Enterprises used me, I've really had no reason to hate Kirby like I did back in them old days! Besides, I'm king here and I'll change my mind anytime I want!" King Dedede snorted.

Escargoon was stunned for a moment, but figured it was best to just leave it at that. Sure he was confused, but he'd rather be around his king when he was happy. Besides, all these years, King Dedede really didn't have much of a problem with Kirby wondering about his castle; heck, he even joined in the fight to protect Kirby against Riley and her beasts when she invaded.

"Welcome back to the world of the living, pal!" Geoffrey greeted.

"Good to see you doing well, Alpha Dedede!" Neo added.

King Dedede set Kirby down on his bedside with a baffled look on his face, "Escargoon, what's she goin' on about? Why is she callin' me alpha?"

Escargoon didn't really know what to say; he had no clue either. Thankfully, Geoffrey was there to bail him out, "Your highness, alpha is the zwetoock word for king."

"Oh... right then, course' I knew that!" King Dedede exclaimed, proudly.

"Of course you did." Tiff muttered, sarcastically as she climbed out of bed.

"Now you look here, girlie, I don't need none of that from you!"

"Cubs, cubs, play nice." Neo sighed, holding out her hands in a calming motion.

Some things never change. Sure, Tiff and King Dedede could put aside their differences and work together, they had done it before. But not without poking fun at one another. At least Kirby was ready to be the mediator in between them; er, that was if something else didn't catch his attention.

Beaming happily, Kirby leaped off Dedede's bedside, and headed straight for Sword and Blade as the two knaves walked through the doors. Apparently, while taking a quick break from their repairs, they wanted to see how their caption was doing, though an exuberant greeting from Kirby and the rest of their friends didn't hurt. However, their attention was riveted once Meta Knight's dulled amber eyes flashed bright brilliant gold. He had no idea how long he had been asleep, only that it must have been for a while. (Though really, how anyone could sleep so soundly wearing full battle armor was a mystery for the ages!)

Meta Knight sat up quickly, and found that his wounds had been healed and his armor cleaned up and mended. Still, he didn't like feeling so vulnerable. Silently, he flung his covers off and climbed out of bed, wrapping his cape around his body before approaching Sword, Blade, and Kirby. He gazed at his apprentice and two knaves, those beautiful golden orbs boring deep into their souls until Sword finally gathered the courage to speak.

"Captain Meta Knight... permission to speak freely, sir!" Sword Knight requested as he and Blade approached.

"Of course, my friends." Meta Knight said, his silky voice filling the entire room.

Without warning, Sword Knight and Blade Knight leaped for their master, nearly knocking him to the ground in their embrace. Meta Knight could only stand there in shock, eyes wide. After what wasn't nearly long enough for Sword and Blade but what felt like an eternity to Meta Knight, the two knaves let go of their lord and master, straightening up and saluting simultaneously.

"Sir!" Sword and Blade said in unison.

"Right! We'll... we'll ust' get back to work on getting' er' in flyin' shape again!" Blade added, before the two Dreamlander Knights made a hasty retreat from the infirmary.

Neo just giggled. Despite hiding his face behind a mask, there was no covering up the fact that Sir Meta Knight was shocked. For a brief moment, his eyes flashed pink as he stared ahead, where his knaves once stood.

"Poyo, Medi Kni?" Kirby asked, tilting his head.

"You're men adore you, Sir Meta Knight," Neo observed.

Silence.

"Nice to see you back, Skipper!" Geoffrey added.

Meta Knight was still speechless, letting everything sink in. Sword and Blade hugging him?! What could have possibly triggered that overreaction? Next, he thought about the new nickname Geoffrey had saddled him with. Skipper. Oddly enough, Meta Knight could see that working. It was certainly more dignified then 'buddy'. Eventually, his apprentice's anxious chiding snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Hmmm? What is it, little warrior?" Meta Knight asked, placing a gloved hand on the child's shoulder.

Smiling up to his beloved teacher, Kirby gave Meta Knight a salute of his own. The elder warrior's eyes flashed blue for a moment, feeling pride, for both himself and his apprentice.

"You've all got a clean bill of health," Neo said at last, gesturing with a thumb over her shoulder, "Go on, get out of here."

Finally, freedom! Geoffrey grabbed his leather jacket and kevlar vest off the hook near his bed. Now he'd just have to hunt down Kautounie and get her to fix them for him. But before he left, the rouge just had to know one thing for sure, "Sir Meta Knight... did I actually... fight against you?"

"Indeed, Geoffrey. In fact you shot and stabbed me," Meta Knight answered, "It was during that moment, I realized just how much I appreciated that you were on my side... most of the time."

"Thank... you..." Geoffrey stammered, unsure how he should have answered that.

Well, that certainly explained how exactly he got so beat up and how his gear became damaged. When Tiff was about to inquire as to what she had done while under Ronic's influence, she was shocked at what she heard; casting spells against Neo and Meta Knight, aiding Nightmare's army, healing Masher 2.0, even using her acid whip against Kirby. The girl couldn't believe it! Thankfully, it was all in the past now, and Ronic wouldn't be causing any trouble for anyone anytime soon... if he was still alive.

So, while Geoffrey left to go find Kautounie, Tiff was directed to where her family was staying so she could spend some quality time with them. With all her patients healed and rested, Neo left the infirmary, followed by King Dedede and Escargoon. Meta Knight, as caption, knew there was still much more that needed doing. He would have to oversee the Halberd's repairs, plus he would need to give Garna and Dr. Knarks a buzz. But there was something else he needed to do first. Silently, the old star warrior beckoned for Kirby to follow him. Curious, the pink puffball obliged.

The two puffballs walked down the empty halls of the ship, the only sounds being the poundings and occasional electric zaps and sparks coming from the repair crews as they mended the Halberd's hull and weaponry. Once Meta Knight was sure he and Kirby were alone, he covered his apprentice with his silken cape, surprising the little one. But it was a pleasant surprise.

"Poyo, Medi Kni?" Kirby asked, snuggling against the elder's side.

"You have grown much during our journey, young one," Meta Knight said softly, "Your power never ceases to amaze me. I am proud to be your teacher... and your friend. Thank you, Kirby. Thanks to you, the Redsuns, Knuckle Joe... I am once again Caption of the Halberd. And I thank you, my friend, for not destroying my ship this time around."

Kirby rolled his eyes and babbled softly, further burying himself under his mentor's cape. Meta Knight couldn't help but chuckle softly. Through thick and thin, he always had a soft spot for the baby star warrior, even when he didn't want too or was scared of admitting it.

"Kirby... come with me, there is something I would like to show you." hesaid at last.

At the child's excited look, Meta Knight trailed the corner of his cape over Kirby's head, enticing him to follow. While the two of them walked, they came across Kautounie and Knuckle Joe coming down the other way.

"Hiya Meta Knight! Nice to see ya back on your feet!" Knuckle Joe called, "Hmhm, Kirby, don't go wreckin' this thing now!" he added, jokingly.

Kirby chided away happily, though it was difficult to tell what exactly he was saying. Meta Knight on the other hand gave a heavy sigh and an annoyed glare to Knuckle Joe, causing the little fighter to snicker.

"It's good to have you back, captain!" Kautounie greeted as she and Joe passed by, "Oh, that reminds me, Sword and Blade would like to see you out on the main deck."

Meta Knight nodded in response. He was planning on finding those two once he was finished with Kirby.

"We'll be back here later tonight. Right now, there's somethin' me and the furballs gotta do." Knuckle Joe added.

The elder warrior bid the two youngsters off, then continued along his way in silence. He couldn't be to certain, but he could have sworn he heard Knuckle Joe and Kautounie snickering to each other about Geoffrey's reaction when he had met Razorbeak for the first time.

Kirby followed his mentor, turning down a short hallway with a single door at the end. The Caption's Cabin to be exact. Meta Knight gave a glance over his shoulder to Kirby, unlocked the door, then ushered the young warrior inside. His apprentice couldn't help but gaze in awe. Meta Knight's cabin was sparse, much like his room back at Castle Dedede, not having much but the essentials; his bed, private bathroom, what Kirby guessed was a closet with a mirror next to it, a small bedside table with a jar of candy on it, and a large chest at the foot of the bed. He did however, have many pictures hanging on the walls of star warriors and the G.S.A. There were even a few of himself training Kirby, Sword and Blade. One really faded photo was of Meta Knight, with two other warriors Kirby had never seen before, one, who looked a lot like Knuckle Joe, even though most of his face was hidden by his mask, and a woman, who although looked determined, had great beauty to her.

Though one picture in particular caught Kirby's eye. It was of Sir Arthur, wearing his full set of gleaming gold armor, sword out, and white cape flowing behind him. Kirby knew he had seen this picture before. He scrunched up his adorable face thoughtfully, then he remembered. Garna! This was the same painting Garna had back in Thea'or hanging over the mantle above her fireplace! The one she loved so much.

"Medi Kni! Garna has that same one!" Kirby chided, pointing.

"Yes, I knew you'd like that, but that's not what I had for you." Meta Knight said, gently.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, following his teacher further inside.

Meta Knight was just happy that Ronic and his monsters hadn't found their way into his room. The elder warrior started to open the chest at the foot of his bed, though he took notice of the duffel bags that had been placed on his bed. Funny, he didn't remember putting those there. Upon closer inspection, he noticed the Redsun symbol emblazoned on the side of the packs. Well, now he knew where the Redsuns' missing gear had gone! Shrugging, the old warrior unlocked the chest and opened it, peaking Kirby's interest.

"I had these made specially for you, Kirby," Meta Knight began, "I was going to give them to you when you were older, but I think you are more then worthy of it now!"

When Meta Knight turned around, he was holding a set of red armored shoes, red and gold engraved shoulder guards, and a dark magenta cape with gold trimmings and mantle. Kirby was in shock. He didn't know what to say or do. His mentor was presenting him with G.S.A. armor! No two sets of Galaxy Soldier Army armor were alike, each one was unique to it's owner.

"Kirby, you are truly a great and powerful warrior," Meta Knight praised, "Now it is time for you to look like the knight I know you are!"

"Medi Kni... it's-it's... beauti-uti... thank you!" Kirby stammered, delight all over his face.

"Well, lets see you put it on, my little warrior."

Kirby had never worn armor before, and naturally needed some help getting it on. Meta Knight helped him with all the straps and buckles, showing him how to make it secure so that the armor wouldn't fall off yet still keep comfortable at the same time. It was similar in design to Meta Knight's, with the straps of the shoulder guards running under the arms and going along the back, connecting to the sheath on the left hand side. The armored shoes made Kirby's feet feel heavy and they would take some getting used to. But overall, he liked it.

"Ah, it suits you well!" Meta Knight complemented, motioning for Kirby to take a look at himself in the mirror.

The young star warrior was quite amazed to see just how much more impressive he looked. His new armor made him look more mature, and the flowing cape added just the right touch of elegance, while still keeping true to his innocent demeanor. He couldn't wait to show Tiff and his friends.

"This armor was designed just for you, shortly after Nightmare was defeated, the first time. I took your natural ability to inhale into consideration during it's design, hence, why you do not have a mask," Meta Knight explained, "However, this armor will transform as you do and will not hinder your ability to copy your opponents in any way. Wear this armor well and proudly, my friend."

Without a word, Kirby unexpectedly latched onto his beloved teacher in a tight hug. Well, there were some things Meta Knight wasn't going to be able to break his apprentice of, and he might as well just accept it. The elder warrior returned the embrace, feeling comfortable that no one was around to witness. After all, it couldn't be good if the Captain of the Halberd was seen being soft. But amongst all the other excitement and happenings that have gone on that day, nothing could have prepared Meta Knight for what happened next.

"Thank you, poyo... daddy." Kirby said, once he finally let go of his mentor, gazing up to him with his liquid blue eyes.

Now, there was going to far, there was crossing the line, and there was tossing out the rule book; this was burning the rule book and writing your own! Meta Knight had been mistaken for Kirby's father, he had been teased about it, hell, he even protected and trained Kirby like he was his own, but Kirby had never directly referred to him as his father before. It was a strange feeling; sure, the child had always shown him love and affection, and he was fine with being his teacher and his friend. But a father? Meta Knight's heart beat faster when he looked down at his armor clad student.

"Please... don't look at me that way." Meta Knight sighed, turning his gaze away from Kirby's.

"Poyo, what's wrong?" Kirby asked.

Meta Knight closed his eyes as his mind and heart raced. Both his heart and mind had been at war with each other since he first learned of Kirby's existence. He had told himself over and over to be blunt and stoic and not to get attached. Just train the kid to defend himself using the harshest methods, even become brutal and downright abusive if he must! Yet the more time he spent with the child, the more he couldn't stop his heart from giving in. Meta Knight found himself enjoying Kirby's company, yes, even when he played with his cape and cuddled up next to him. After all this time, he had grown to love the child and cared deeply for him, even if he never openly displayed it. Should Riley or Nightmare ever learn of this... Meta Knight shuddered at the thought. He knew it was dangerous, perhaps even impulsive, and yet, the old warrior couldn't help but want that title. It might be a mistake, being the father and guardian to such an excitable baby, but maybe Alphess Tamoko was right. Perhaps Kirby was the son he thought he would never have.

"Victory is my destiny." Meta Knight chuckled softly to himself, wrapping his cape around his body, "As it is yours, my son." he added to Kirby, experimenting just how well those words would roll off his tongue.

There was no point in lying to himself anymore. Meta Knight liked it, and he liked it a lot. His eyes glowed bright, prideful blue as he gazed down on the child he would now call his own.

"Just please, don't tell anyone about this! Lets keep it between you and me."

Not wanting to disappoint Meta Knight, Kirby agreed. As the two left the Captain's Cabin, Kirby tried wrapping his own cape around himself, just like his teacher, no, his father would. Now Kirby knew why Meta Knight walked around like this. It was comfortable, even if he did nearly trip over his new cape for the first couple of steps.

"Now that you have yours, you can leave mine alone, Kirby." Meta Knight chuckled, a warm smile hidden under his mask as he looking over his shoulder to make sure the young one was still following him, "Come, let us see what Sword and Blade have for us on deck, my little warrior."

*Harmony, Airfield, Concealed Hanger*

Meanwhile, back in town, Kautounie, Neo, and Knuckle Joe had riffled through the many dead bodies and the underground base, searching for anything of value that they could use. Money, information, weapons, ammunition, and provisions, including, but not limited to, guns, swords, food, some spell components, and cases of Pep Brew to name a few. They had found quite a bit, a lot of it having been missed by the Waddle Dees that had gone through the main part of town earlier. Razorbeak, during that time, had perched himself up above on the pavement and was soaking up the the sun's rays before it faded away.

"We found stuff like dis' before," Knuckle Joe mentioned, holding up one of many gold and ruby medallions, "What does it even do?"

"I'm not sure," Kautounie answered," I can verify that it's been enchanted, but nothing about it's functions. The only way to really test it's function is to put it on."

"And considering the people that used that necklace and who it represents," interjected Neo thoughtfully, "I wouldn't recommend doing that."

With a grunt of disdain, Knuckle Joe simply tossed the medallion back onto the pile of weapons and treasure. It would still be good for melting down. Although a sudden squeal startled Knuckle Joe. The anxious fighter whipped his head from side to side, looking for whatever threat was approaching. Then he saw the Redsun sisters pulling a rather fancy yet old leather bound book out of a crumpled mound that may have been a safe at one time. Knuckle Joe only let out an exasperated sigh. These furballs and their books!

"We've got to share this with Tiff as well." Neo exclaimed, as she and Kautounie began to flip through the book's pages.

Yup, those girls knew a spell book when they saw it. More then likely, it was one of Ronic's, possibly forgotten in his haste to fly the Halberd away. After skimming through the pages, the two girls set their find on the pile of spoils to pick up later, right beside a black cowboy hat that was owned by Marshal, while he was still alive, anyway. Kautounie and Neo had both thought Geoffrey might like it.

It was nearing sundown by the time the three of them had finished going through their hoard, sorting it into their packs and defaced Nightmare Enterprises crates. One such crate, Kautounie had packed herself, claiming that this one wasn't going on board. Knuckle Joe had no idea what was inside, and Kautounie wasn't sharing.

"Hey, you two girls commin' or what?" Knuckle Joe asked.

He had been down there long enough, and just wanted to leave. The stench of all the dead was becoming near unbearable.

"Nah, you go on ahead, we'll catch up." Kautounie said, "Keep Razorbeak company, he'll like that."

The zwetoock wasn't telling Joe what she was up to, and to be honest, Knuckle Joe didn't look like he really wanted to know anyway. With a shrug, the little fighter left the hanger bay/mass grave, taking in the fresh air up above and waiting with their gryphon.

Once he was gone, Kautounie took a note out of her pocket, pinning it in place on her crate with a jagged knife she had found among the dead occultists. Even though she didn't tell Neo what was inside, the younger zwetoock had a pretty good clue, judging by the thick blood that began oozing out the crate's sides.

"Lets do this!" Kautounie growled, "I figured out the Xtransiear, I can figure out how to use a monster transporter."

The two girls traveled upstairs and out of the airfield to the warehouse where the transporter was located. Kautounie and Neo both paused for a moment to gaze at the Halberd's silhouette against the setting sun. Even manured on the ground, the battleship was truly magnificent. The zwetoock's keen ears picked up on the sounds of the repair crews working away. Neo knew Geoffrey must have been having a great time of it, especially if he got to work on the Halberd's guns. The sisters tore their gaze away and entered the warehouse, where the Monster Transporter still stood. With a flick of her hand, Kautounie moved the crate with her "present" onto the transporter's pad, then set about finding the right coordinates. Although challenged at first, the young mage, by luck or accident, stumbled upon the Transporter's memory log and found what she was looking for. Most of the supplies and demon beasts that had been sent through were coming from Castle Dedede, and since they had taken out the occultists running the lair, there was no one left to wipe the memory banks clean. Now it was just a question of pushing the right button.

"Sister, are you sure this is a good idea?" Neo asked, unsure as she cast her Unnoticeability around the warehouse, as to hide what they were doing from the others.

"No." Kautounie answered, honestly, as the machine started to come to life, "Yet Nightmare has sent us many messages, now I'm sending him one! I don't think he got the last one quite clear enough."

*Halberd, Main Deck*

Just as Kautounie had mentioned earlier, the two knaves were outside on the Halberd's deck, working on the the damage to the hull and Main Cannon #2 with a small horde of Waddle Dees. Geoffrey was out there with them, his coat and apparently the kevlar vest he wore underneath repaired. He was next to Blade Knight, working on the Main Cannon #2, and there was no mistaking the delight on his face. The rouge couldn't help but mentally praise Meta Knight for his ingenuity and craftsmanship. That suborn old knight had fantastic taste in weaponry.

It was evening by now, and the desert sun was slowly sinking down behind the sand dunes, turning the abandoned town of Harmony deep, rusty orange. King Dedede and Escargoon were there as well, directing the Waddle Dees... well, trying to, anyway.

"Caption, sir!" Sword Knight and Blade Knight acknowledged, straightening up to attention.

"Aye there, Skipper!" Geoffrey called.

"At ease." Meta Knight said calmly.

"Caption Meta Knight, all damage repairs are on schedule!" Sword announced.

"We an' be outta ere' in three days, aybe' less!" Blade added.

Meta Knight was most pleased with the progress. They were going to be out of here sooner then he had anticipated. Though everyone's attention fell on Kirby once they caught sight of his shiny new armor. Geoffrey let out a long whistle, cocking an eyebrow, "Well now, look at you! A knight in shining armor." (Even if he was a miniature one... a pink miniature.)

Kirby felt a little embarrassed and shy. The smaller star warrior inched closer to his mentor for comfort. Now he understood how Tiff felt when she first started wearing her mage robes. Eventually, with some encouragement and a gentle nudge from Meta Knight, Kirby's shyness was replaced with pride. Sword and Blade admired the young Star Warrior's new look, even complementing that Kirby was now "officially" one of them.

"Great, one of you was bad enough, Meta Knight!" King Dedede commented.

"Sire, don't forget, that's the owner of our ride home!" Escargoon sighed.

"Yeah, but I'm the king here!"

"Uh, in case you haven't noticed, your majesty, we're not in Dreamland anymore."

Thankfully for those two, Meta Knight didn't seem interested in bantering with the self-proclaimed king or his adviser. He had better things to do right now. King Dedede took another look at Kirby, who simply smiled, then followed after his mentor.

With the main cannons fully functional again, Geoffrey leaped down from his perch and onto the deck to join Meta Knight and Sword, closely followed by Blade. Sword and Blade were quick to give their caption details of everything that had gone on. Naturally, there was the hole in the hull above the engine room that needed to be fixed, along with various guns along the sides of the ship. All things considered, Meta Knight was pleased with the progress that was being made. Although there was also an interesting new... addition brought to his attention. A fully functional Monster Transporter Unit that had been installed in the cargo hold, to be exact.

"Poyo... monster transporter?" Kirby questioned.

"A monster transporter unit you say?" Meta Knight mused, "This I must see."

Sword and Blade nodded, "After that shortie and both his Mashers took control of the ship and us, he had us construct one in the cargo bay."

"We ere' thinkin' of ettin' rid of it! Just waitin' for your orders, sir!" Blade added.

Meta Knight was about ready to give the order to get rid of that vile machine, but then he stopped. Geoffrey was quick to point out to the caption that a monster transporter, should it be calibrated correctly, could be quite advantageous, especially if Dr. Knarks was to be able to send more of his Celestial Beasts to them. (After all, he did get quite a start from earlier when he saw that gryphon.) Not to mention the transporters could be used to transport more then just monsters.

"Actually... I think I'll keep it." Meta Knight decided at last, nodding, "Hmph, that's one addition Ronic added to my ship that I may get some use out of!"

(Yeah, Meta Knight didn't see all the pinups and creepy stalker-esque photos of Riley that Sword and Blade had to tear down from various parts of the ship before he woke up!)

Meta Knight threw a quick glance to Kirby just to get a second opinion. The little pink warrior nodded in agreement with his teacher and Geoffrey, remembering full well just how useful having one of those things could be. *Snicker*, King Dedede's monster transporter back at his castle to be exact.

"Besides, you didn't have to pay for it." Geoffrey added with a shrug, "Not to mention just think of the satisfaction you'll get, knowing that it was Nightmare's cronies that gave it to you in the first place."

Meta Knight chuckled softly in his thought; using Nightmare's device to bring monsters Dr. Knarks created aboard his warship. Ah, such guilty pleasure. Even an honorable knight such as he was entitled to a few every now and again.

"Wait a minute, you got your own monster transporter unit on this here ship, now?" King Dedede asked, or rather whined, having overheard the conversation between Meta Knight and his knaves.

Before he could stick his abnormally large nose into other peoples' business, a loud screech and wolf howls rang through the evening sky. At first, King Dedede was alarmed at the shadow cast over the ship's deck. He instinctively reached for his hammer while Escargoon instinctively hid behind him. However, Meta Knight and Kirby were quite relaxed, recognizing the beast to be Razorbeak and his riders. The gryphon landed gracefully, careful not to step on any of Caption Meta Knight's crew or the Waddle Dees. Kautounie and Neo both howled again as they dismounted, while Knuckle Joe groaned and rubbed his ears.

"Do you HAVE to do that?" Knuckle Joe asked.

"And why not?" Neo retorted, "We haven't had the chance to sing for some time."

"You call that singing?"

"The wolf's song, of course." Kautounie said, like it was obvious.

While Razorbeak sat down and began to preen and groom his feathers, the sisters and Knuckle Joe joined Meta Knight, Geoffrey, and Kirby, but before they told Meta Knight about the goodies they had found down in Ronic's base, they had to take take notice of their favorite pink fluff ball's new getup.

"Kirby, lookin' good!" Knuckle Joe said, giving his pal a thumbs up.

"Nice... elegant, yet practical," Kautounie complemented, "You look like a true knight."

"The most adorable knight I've ever set eyes on," Neo added, "Aside from three others I know." she muttered to herself, subtlety smiling at Meta Knight, Sword, and Blade.

Being absolutely adorable must have been a prerequisite of being a Knight of Dreamland. Not that there was anything wrong with that, of course.

King Dedede narrowed his eyes at Knuckle Joe, knowing full well that the little elf-like fighter never passed up an opportunity to insult him. At least he was too busy ogling all over Kirby's new armor to pay any attention to him. But, while Joe and the girls were busy sharing their findings with Meta Knight and the others, King Dedede's attention turned to the great big gryphon that was slowly and curiously approaching.

"Escargoon, what in the stars is that?!" King Dedede asked in a harsh whisper.

After taking a large, fearful gulp, the purple snail finally gathered the courage to answer, "I'm not sure sire, but I think that might be the... uhhh... gryphon that I heard Neo talking about back in the infirmary."

"How come is it I ain't never heard of it?"

"Because you were out cold when Neo told me about him." Escargoon answered, in the most snarky way he could manage.

Usually answering back that way resulted in a beating, and Escargoon braced himself, knowing he was still sore from when Neo had to subdue him back when he was under Ronic's control. However, he was quite surprised to find that his king was ignoring his insubordination, and instead fumbling around inside his robes, like he was looking for something.

"Damn it, I hope I still have it-ah!" King Dedede exclaimed, taking out a small camera, "I ain't never seen a bird like this one before and I'm not missin' this here opportunity."

Escargoon just sighed. King Dedede did enjoy bird watching, something the snail found a bit embarrassing. But it was better then having his head smashed in.

Razorbeak tilted his head curiously as the king anxiously and quickly snapped photos. The gryphon, as though he knew exactly what was going on, suddenly spread his wings and fanned out his tail, making sure Dreamland's King could get a very good look at him, all the while soaking up many complements along the way.

Meanwhile...

"Yes, but I must see this monster transporter before we all meet up on the bridge, perhaps-" Meta Knight paused for a moment.

"Hmhm, get a load of that, Skipper." Geoffrey muttered, gesturing to where Razorbeak and Dedede were.

Was Razorbeak... striking poses? It sure looked like it. Even Meta Knight's eyes visibly widened and Sword and Blade snickered a little.

"Dr. Knarks said that gryphons were the physical embodiment of honor and valor," Neo sighed.

"Poyo... intell- intelligent and powerful, too." Kirby added.

"I think he forgot to mention, prideful." Kautounie nodded.

"Who knew Tubby and Razorbeak would hit it off so well." Knuckle Joe commented with a snort.

"Hey, I heard that!" King Dedede shouted, taking a moment to glare over his shoulder.

While the king as Razorbeak got to know each other better, Meta Knight, Kirby, Geoffrey, and the two knaves left to investigate the Monster Transporter in the cargo hold while Knuckle Joe and the girls left for the bridge.

"You know where to find us!" Kautounie called after them.

Geoffrey couldn't wait to share the news with Garna. But first, Meta Knight led the small group down into the cargo bay, settled in the bottom levels of the Halberd. It was quite large and roomy down there, and in all honesty, quite a perfect place for one of those things. Meta Knight couldn't help but sigh a little when he saw the makeshift corral Kautounie and Neo had set up down there for their horses. Transporting large animals was not what the old warrior had in mind, but as long as he and his men weren't cleaning up after them he'd allow it.

Blade quickly tapped in a few numbers on a nearby keypad, and within seconds, the monster transporter machine and platform rose from the floor, stopping with a hiss. Meta Knight and Geoffrey both nodded, while Kirby just stared for a minute.

"It's fully functional captain!" Sword reported.

"We ust' eed' to make ure' Noitmare can't track anything sent to and from an' to ere'." Blade added.

Kirby looked like he was pondering how they were going to manage such a feat, but Meta Knight and Geoffrey glanced to each other with that cleaver gleam in their eyes.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Skipper?" Geoffrey asked.

"Well, she did protect the Halberd from their tracking for a week," Meta Knight answered.

Kirby was still a little baffled, but Geoffrey's smile widened. He knew he could trust Meta Knight to be on the same page with him.

"Poyo, Medi Kni?" Kirby asked, blinking up to his mentor.

"The others await us on the bridge," Meta Knight said, "Come, little warrior."

Geoffrey hung back with the two knaves while Meta Knight and Kirby left the cargo hold. Apparently, Sword and Blade were noticing that same thing that Geoffrey was.

"Is it just me, or does Sir Meta Knight have a little bit more... bounce to his step?" Sword Knight asked.

"Do ya think it has any'ing to do with wha' Ronic id' to us?" Blade muttered.

"Hmmm, you boys noticed it too, huh?" Geoffrey mused, confirming that the two knights weren't crazy.

All three of them could clearly see that Meta Knight was perkier then usual. Maybe it was the fact that he had his ship back, or perhaps his friends and crew, or maybe, just maybe it had something to do with Kirby. After all, the stubborn old star warrior didn't go around giving out shiny new sets of armor to just everyone! With a shrug, all three of them left for the bridge.

*Halberd Bridge*

Quite a few had shown up as per Sir Meta Knight's request. Naturally Meta Knight himself and Kirby, Kautounie, Neo, Tiff, Tuff, Knuckle Joe, King Dedede, and Escargoon. Scrambling in last were Sword, Blade, and Geoffrey. Kautounie and Neo both smirked, seeing the fancy new headgear their brother was wearing. Honestly he wore that hat pretty damn good, it completed his ensemble. Geoffrey had even tied the feather Kautounie had given to him around the band.

"So, did we miss anything?" he asked.

"Actually, you're right on time." Meta Knight confirmed.

Once everyone was settled in and comfortable, he pressed a few keys on the nearest console, darkening the large windows looking out and bringing up two separate viewing screens. For a moment, there was nothing but static on both ends, but soon enough, the images flickered, becoming the familiar backgrounds of both a comfortable office with a shrine to the G.S.A. on one screen, and a dark, foreboding laboratory on the other. Garna and Roaren both glanced up to their screen and smiled.

"And here I was thinking you forgot all about me," Garna sighed, "Where's-"

"AHHHH! Damn it! Nasher, have you been chewing on the cables again? What? Oh shit!" Dr. Knarks could be heard grumbling, along with a few bangs, crashes, a lot more swearing and a pained roar, "Coming, I'm coming, sorry about that. Darrel, Nasher! Next time one of you answer. Dr. Knarks here and-oh shit, her too?" the draconian groaned as he appeared on his screen, his spirits dropping once he caught sight of Garna.

Meta Knight could only let out an annoyed groan. This was going to be an interesting conversation to say the least. Kirby began chiding away quite happily, waving his short, stubby arm to the mad doctor and thief mistress.

"Oh, there's Knarksy! Well now, Captain Meta Knight! I never thought you'd be one for setting up the party lines!" Garna cackled insanely, "All we need now is some booze to really have a good time! Eh, Knarksy?"

"Don't call me Knarksy..." Dr. Knarks grumbled, "Ever."

Yup, very interesting indeed!

*Castle Prescott, Throne Room*

Glasya growled and snarled to herself, debating what she should do. Nightmare terrified her; anyone who didn't fear His Grace was a fool! Yet, there was something he needed to know. She rested her head on the arm of the throne, thinking about the day's events. Lets see, chasing down cappies, capturing a small purple owl and a hamster. She snorted to herself, thinking about what Riley had said earlier, that she'd be impressed once they captured Dyna Blade.

Speak of the she-devil! Riley burst into the throne room, strode down the red carpets, and was set to shoo Glasya out of the throne, when, completely unexpectedly, the floor and ceiling in the center of the room near the throne began to fold into itself, reveling the monster transporter within.

"Glasya, did you-?!" Riley snapped.

"I didn't press anything!" the alpha hell hound growled, jumping off the throne.

She bounded to her mistress' side once the machine started to glow with power. Riley didn't seem too alarmed. Perhaps a random demon beast was just what they needed to liven the joint up. It would certainly be more welcome then all those annoying messages from Ronic, that's for sure. Speaking of which, Neither Riley nor Nightmare had heard from that bungler in a while. Strange, considering the little imp didn't heed warnings too well.

But, much to the half-demoness' disappointment, it was only a crate that appeared on the transporter pad. At first she thought that it may have been supplies or returns from Harmony, but then a pungent, coppery scent wafted up to her nose. The witch and hell hound cautiously approached, taking notice of the claw marks running over Holy Nightmare's logo on the side. Next, came the note, pinned on the crate by a jagged knife.

 _"_ _Holy Nightmare and Riley... This game's at Check! Next time, send your best!"_

Riley paused for a moment, seeing the thick droplets of red liquid oozing out the cracks in the wood. Glasya whimpered softly, gazing up to the witch. With a flick of her hand, Riley tore the cover off the crate, took one look inside, then let out an audible gasp and turned away, swearing.

"What is this?!" Nightmare's harsh, unforgiving voice rang out as he sifted into the throne room.

The demon lord took form, wrapping his starry cloak around himself. Wordlessly, Riley showed him the note, then beckoned him to look inside the "gift" that had been sent. Snarling, Nightmare incinerated the taunting message with a mere thought, then braved a look inside the crate.

"By the Nine Rings of Hell!" he shouted, in genuine surprise.

Even a lord of evil such as he was shocked. Inside, were no less then three heads, those of Mildred, Marshal, and Daisy. Well, perhaps this explained why they weren't getting any messages from Ronic as of late! The wraith mage quivered violently for a moment, seething with anger.

Riley was still deathly quiet, preventing herself from breaking down in front of her lord. She knew that this wasn't sent by any Dreamlander or the G.S.A. No! This was a zwetoock's warning!

"What... orders... your Grace?" Riley choked out at last.

"They want me to send my best!" Nightmare growled, "I would hate to disappoint them! We'll see who is in check after this!"

With that threatening statement, Holy Nightmare stormed off, whipping his cloak behind him. He was planning on assaulting Thea'or anyway! Now the spurs were dug in a little deeper.

Riley glanced back to the crate; she didn't understand what this feeling inside her was. She knew full well that they were merely means to an end, pawns in the game if you will.

 _"_ _Sissy, you know as well as we do, that they were flawed to begin with... humans!"_ Fey whispered. _"They died fighting in the service of Holy Nightmare! That's all that matters! Still... Sissy Daisy..."_

 _"_ _They died for our cause, dear sister."_ was all Weston had to say.

In a sudden outrage, Riley screamed, then obliterated the threat message with a bolt of black lightning, vaporizing the wooden crate and transporting it's contents only the Gods know where with a crackle of electricity and a puff of black smoke, leaving nothing but a few drops of blood on the transporter pad to prove that it was ever there. Without another word, she stormed out of the throne room, leaving Glasya alone once again. The Alpha Hell Hound had to act while she had the chance, while Riley was away from Nightmare. His Grace needed to be warned!

 **Author's Notes::** Alrighty. The aftermath of the epic battle to reclaim the Halberd. Those who were under Ronic's command learned that they had not been dreaming, and we get to see how much Meta Knight's men adore him. Plus (Now if you just skipped ahead, I suggest you go back and read right now before you do!) The cute bombshell has exploded, but in a very dignified way. Yes, you all probably so it coming, and to be honest, so did I. I never could see Meta Knight as Kirby's biological father, but I could totally see him adopting the little guy! Meanwhile, something that's not so warm and fuzzy, Nightmare and Riley get a threat message delivered to him, and they're none too happy. Gee, I can't see that backfiring in Kautounie's face? Can you? Anywho, hope you all enjoy.

(On a side note, eventually one of three of those severed heads comes into play in my other story I'm working on, Dream Weavers.)

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	31. Dealings and Unseen Devils

In You're Nightmares, Dealings and Unseen Devils

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Party Chats of Epic Proportions as well as Vivid Dream Sequences.

'You know, I hadn't actually seen my parents and brother in person for near a month, about the same time we were cast off Dreamland and sent here by Riley. I-I don't think I've ever been so nervous about facing them again, after everything that has happened. But the hardest thing to do was face my brother, Tuff, after the horrible things we both did under Ronic's influence. He knew as well as I did... we nearly lost our one weapon we need to defeat Nightmare for good! I know it wasn't what he wanted to do; Ronic made him steal the Star Piece, and there was nothing Tuff could do to stop himself from doing so. That was the same way I felt when forced to fight against Neo and Kirby. My body was being told to do things while my mind was powerless to stop it. It was pure helplessness, something I never want to experience again. After we shared our experiences, he did something I never expected. Tuff wrapped his arms around me and told me he was sorry. I'm sorry too, Tuff! He may not be the brightest, but he is still my brother. I'm not sure what's gotten into me, but I wonder if the Redsuns are rubbing off on me or something. Anyways, mom and dad had never been so relieved to see us! I'm not even sure how long we stayed together. Must have been hours. We only left when Sir Meta Knight summoned us to the bridge over the Halberd's intercom. At first I didn't want to go; but in a shocking turn of events, it was actually dad who told us that we should! I don't think I've ever seen mom and dad so tearful, yet so prideful... prideful for such strong children. To think, I left Dreamland as barely an apprentice mage, if even that, and I'll be returning home a Star Warrior. On a side note... Kirby looks really good in his new armor!'

The Thoughts of Tiff Ebrum

'Wow... just wow! At least now I know I can die happy when the time comes, knowing I got to work on one of the most magnificent, not to mention biggest guns I have ever seen! Oh yeah, Blade and I tuned up Main Canon #2! I gotta say, Meta Knight and I may not always see eye to eye, but we can both agree that big guns are wonderful! *Sigh* It's been such a treat fixing up the Halberd, especially for a mechanician such as myself. I've just been trying to keep my sisters away from any wires and moving parts... you know, sometimes a microwave oven or a refrigerator with an ice machine built in can confound those two! Thankfully, Neo and Kautounie have been preoccupied with other activities with Knuckle Joe... and NO, not THOSE kinds of activities... you sickos! Anyway, Meta Knight's called all of us the the bridge; he's got some sort of party line going, with Garna and Dr. Knarks. Hmhmhmmmm, funny things happen when you get those three together online at the same time! But there's one thing I can't help but notice... Meta Knight's got a little bit more bounce in his step. Not sure what's up with him, but I don't think it's just because he gave his apprentice his own suit of armor. Tamoko Redsun had that same same sort of pride in her gait after adopting me into the pack. Coincidence?'

The Thoughts of Geoffrey 'Redsun' Collins

'Last time, I was a tad too subtle. I think this time, Nightmare and Riley will both get the message loud and clear. Neo is having seconds thoughts. She thinks I might have been too impulsive. I for one have no regrets... at least not yet. So far, only she and myself know about this. Tomorrow, while our ride back to Thea'or and home gets fixed up, we're going to start burning bodies... Sundar save us! Not a fun job, but Geoffrey wont let me anywhere near the Halberd's Engine Room. A shame, there was some very interesting looking things in there. Oh well. At least once the dirty work is done, there's a new spell book to go through.'

The Thoughts of Kautounie Redsun

'I probably should have spoken up sooner... before Kautounie sent Riley and Nightmare her 'Zwetoock Postcard', as it is sometimes referred to by non-zwetoocks. It's too late now. Riley is the one who set her own flesh and blood into the pits to fight us, and she paid the cost in their blood and lives. As the future Alphess of the pack, my sister feels a strong need to impress and intimidate, however, I think she's trying too hard. Something just keeps on biting at me... and no, it's not fleas! I have a bad feeling that this is going to backlash against us, heavily! Well, as mother tells us, you can take gold and steel, lives and blood, but wisdom is never free. It always comes with a price... in gold, blood, or life. May Sundar defend us all.'

The Thoughts of Neo Redsun

'Is... is this what it feels like to be a father? I... I really don't understand what has happened. All I did was give my apprentice his own set of armor and some encouraging words. We went into my cabin as master and student, we left as father and son. Kirby has certainly grown fond of me, even when my training becomes harsh... sometimes abusive and cruel. Or when I'm cold and unresponsive. For the longest time, my mind has told me not to get attached to the little one, simply train him to defend himself and be done with it. But my heart tells me otherwise; I have often given Kirby my advice, and have watched over him, even played with him. Sometimes, I have comforted Kirby or even held him when he was sick or wounded, and he has done the same for me. I cannot let the others know about my decision... not yet. I can't risk Nightmare ever learning about my choice to adopt Kirby as my son. But if he is to be my own, I mustn't let up, if anything, I will need to push my son harder; for his sake and my own. My little warrior.'

The Thoughts of Sir Meta Knight

'Poyo... not just Medi Kni's apprwen-apprentice... now Medi Kni's son. Don't really... poyo... know what happened. Medi Kni just give me shiny new armor... Medi Kni is really the only daddy I've ever had, even if he never saw it at first. Poyo. Just can't tell anyone... not even Tiff. Poyo, now Medi Kni and Kirby is family.'

The Thoughts of Kirby

*Holy Nightmare's Game Board*

Now that he was alone, Nightmare let out his roar of outrage, clearing his entire game board with a single swat of his hand... all but two figures. Holy Nightmare glared down at the figures of Meta Knight and Kirby. Those two still defied him! Why? He did not know, but it scared him, that much could be certain.

Such insults! Sent by a zwetoock! An animal! Out of the broken pieces, Nightmare picked up the chess figure that resembled Kautounie and held it in his hands, "Young princess, you may have no fear in your heart, but you do have love... and I'll use that against you... and them!" he snarled, glaring back to Kirby's and Meta Knight's figurines.

Suddenly, he began to laugh as his face twisted into a smile. So brave... yet so unwise, that one. Perhaps Meta Knight had not done the damage Nightmare had previously thought. Sometimes, while deep in thought, the demon lord could hear voices chanting in his head, howling and offering their praises to him. The Bloodtooth clan had a strong rapport with the wraith lord. Nightmare sighed, fingering his piece of the Star Rod. Riley still had hers, which she would promptly turn over once the rest was delivered, and there was still one more General to contend with. No more puny humans or wondering giants, not even mind-warping, shadow bending religious cronies.

"I sincerely hope you will not fail me... My Faithful Alphess." Nightmare mused quietly to himself, setting a brand new figure on his cleared board.

The evil lord's grin widened at the sight of the female zwetoock, wearing his medallion and sigil. She was the most powerful of Riley's generals by far, and she had been serving him well. Suddenly, Nightmare paused, then scanned over the massive chessboard with a critical eye. Was Riley coming to gripe at him? Much to his surprise, it was not Riley, rather her Hell Hound, Glasya.

"What are you doing here?" Nightmare demanded, "Get out! I have slaughtered beasts for less!"

"Forgive me, Your Grace," Glasya said, bowing deeply, "I come of my own accord. Riley knows not that I have come before you."

Nightmare only scowled. He had already been insulted once today; he was in no mood for more, "Why, then? Make it good... and I may let you live."

"I have come to warn you, about Riley," Glasya began, "Right now, she may be content to be your right hand... but eventually, it wont be enough for her!"

"What are you saying, my dear?" Nightmare hissed, unnervingly softly, leaning in closer to the hell hound.

Glasya whimpered and stumbled back, lowering her head in a low bow, "Your Grace, she grows impatient. Riley wants what is hers-!"

"What? Her Chimera? Ha! I've been working on it," Nightmare sighed, revealing an unfinished figurine from the folds of his cloak, "She'll have her WHOLE demon beast when I have my WHOLE Warp Star!"

"YOUR GRACE! Listen to me!" Glasya barked, her temper rising, "She threw away countless lives, including those of her loyalest servants... even her own family! She threw away my husband as well like he was nothing, after years of faithful service! Look at me... really look at me, and you'll see what she does to demons... ALL demons."

The Alpha flinched as Nightmare raised his hand at her outburst, but then he stopped. Something deep inside his withered heart and soul was telling him that there was some tormented and twisted truth to Glasya's words, even though Riley had been gracious enough to bring him back from death. The Alpha Hell Hound convulsed, then collapsed to the game board under what felt like the weight of thousands upon thousands of iron chains binding her body. Now Nightmare himself could see the ethereal bindings Glasya had been bound in, weighing her down. The demon lord's eyes glowed deep, bloody red under the shades he wore.

"Don't let my fate become yours, my lord," Glasya panted, "It is worse then death."

"I see, and what proof do you bring me, hell hound?" Nightmare asked, wrapping his cape around himself.

"Only my words, Your Grace." Glasya whimpered as the chains vanished, allowing her to stand, "They are all I have."

"Your words? That is all?" Nightmare scoffed, "Next time bring me more then just your pathetic whimpers, dog! GET OUT!"

Yelping in fear, Glasya turned tail and ran; had she had more then a stub for a tail, it would have been curled between her legs. Nightmare was beyond furious, first he's sent the heads of three loyal followers, next, Glasya accuses Riley of being a traitor without any proof. The half-succubus had been his most faithful servant since Customer Service. Still, once the evil lord calmed down, he couldn't help but think that maybe there was some truth to what Glasya had told him. Even Dusk had warned him not to fully trust Riley.

"Perhaps I should keep a closer watch on her... just in case." Nightmare sighed to himself.

The great demon began resetting the board, getting ready for the next game. It was time to bring some new players to the board, and bring back a few old ones as well, "We'll see who's in check after this!" he hissed, trailing his clawed finger down Kirby's figure on the board, "Hahahahaaaaaa! Just you wait, little one. I've got something... special in mind for you. This next game is going to be fun... for me, anyway."

*Halberd, Bridge*

Oh, what had Meta Knight gotten himself into? Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to have so many people on the bridge all at once, or maybe he should have contacted Garna and Dr. Knarks one at a time. Well, to late to think about it now! At least they got all the introductions out of the way and let them know that the Halberd had been reclaimed. Meta Knight, although a little grudgingly, had even let Dr. Knarks know how much help he had been after sending them Razorbeak, to which Dr. Knarks beamed proudly under his mask. And to Garna, he thanked her yet again for having kept tabs on the Halberd for as long as she did, whilst asking nothing in return. Hey, anything for her favorite, cuddly knights! But all that aside, there were bound to be some obstacles... which there were.

Once Dr. Knarks' eyes fell on King Dedede, the draconian scientist just started laughing uncontrollably, "Oh my! I remember you, my rather portly penguin! A while back, say maybe five or so years, Nasher and I mistook you dealings with Customer Service as some sort of comedy sketch!"

"Funny, so did I." Garna added, grinning at the king.

"Honestly, your majesty! Did you go to the Team Rocket School of Villainy or something?"

"What's this you talkin' about?! How did you know-?!" King Dedede stammered, "And what the heck is a Team Rocket?!"

"This ought to be good." Tuff muttered to Tiff, who smiled in agreement.

While King Dedede and Dr. Knarks were having their conversation, Meta Knight was quick to get down to business with Garna, or at least trying too. The penguin and draconian were at first verbally tearing into each other while Escargoon was trying to quell the fight, until the subject of monsters was brought up, that is. But while that was going on, Geoffrey remained unnoticed by most everyone there, with the exception of Neo and Kautounie, while he pulled back the hammer of his handgun back and pointed it upwards.

"Sire, please!" Escargoon begged.

"Wait a second, you make-?" King Dedede started, just before a gunshot rang out, startling everyone; online and in the room, even Meta Knight.

Now everyone could see Geoffrey, blowing the smoke from his handgun before holstering it, "Hey! Now that I have your attention... SHUT YOUR PIE HOLES!"

"Geoffrey!" Sword Knight and Blade Knight yelled.

"We just got finished patching her back up!" Meta Knight snarled, his eyes flashing red.

Kautounie calmly held out her hand, showing Meta Knight the bullet Geoffrey had just fired. Apparently the sisters had stopped the bullet from going through the hull and damaging the Halberd... again. They knew their brother had a very violent, albeit effective way to get a crowd's attention.

"Oi, well done there, Geoffrey." Roaren muttered quietly, curling up by Garna's side.

"The floor's yours, chief!" Neo said, while she and Geoffrey both made a welcoming hand gesture.

Meta Knight wasn't sure whether or not he should thank Geoffrey or throw him in the brig, but knowing the slick thief, he'd probably break himself out within five minutes. Besides, he didn't feel like wrestling the human down there as this point. Meta Knight wrapped his cape around himself, though he couldn't help but notice Kirby, who was doing his best impersonation of a shadow, following him. With a groan, the old warrior gently shooed the baby away, giving him some space.

"Guild Mistress Riverdale," Meta Knight began.

"Come on Meta Knight... no need to be so formal just because your Captain of the Halberd again... just Garna will do nicely... for you, anyway."

Meta Knight nodded, taking the halfling's words into consideration before continuing, "Are these transmissions secure? I must ask."

Garna just sighed. Yes... Ronic and Bruno got lucky, but just to be safe, she had taken extreme measures to protect their little chats, even more so then usual, "Oh don't you worry about a thing!"

"Aiye, we've got every season of The Big Bang Theory all set up for Nightmare, Riley, and their minions! That's all their getting' on their end right now!" Roaren added.

Although most of the Dreamlanders were unsure what exactly Garna and Roaren were talking about, the Redsuns and Dr. Knarks burst out laughing. Just what would be going through Nightmare's and Riley's minds when those images adorned their computer screens?

"I say Miss Riverdale, you wouldn't mind sending that my way would you?" Dr. Knarks asked, hopefully.

"We'll see." Garna answered with a smirk in a low mumble, "Knarksy."

"You actually watch that crap?" Neo asked, with a slightly disturbed look on her face.

"What can I say, it's my guilty pleasure." Dr. Knarks shrugged.

"Hmph, besides torturing people!" Tiff muttered, crossing her arms and glaring at the mad doctor.

"It's what I do!"

Before anyone got into another argument, Geoffrey simply pulled out his gun again, but this time all he had to do was pull back the hammer to remind everyone to get back on track.

Naturally Garna and Dr. Knarks both wanted to know just how their brave little band of warriors accomplished their incredible feat of reclaiming the Halberd and uncovering the mysteries of Harmony, especially considering they had to do battle with their own teammates. Preferably, they wanted to hear it all from the beginning. Starting from when they came into town and realized something wasn't quite right, then began snooping around and things only got weirder from there. Sword, Blade, and Tuff popping up, all those little clues, and most of all, Tiff having the Warp Star shard stolen from her. Next Tiff and Geoffrey shared their experience, sneaking around... and finding exactly what they were looking for, if not in the way they would have liked. Needless to say, they were quite surprised to find themselves sitting right within a nest of Nightmare Worshiping occultists.

"Trust me, Garna, we didn't see that one coming either." Neo sighed.

Knuckle Joe and Kautounie described the battle against the occultist armies and of course, facing down Masher 2.0, while Neo and Meta Knight described fighting against Tiff and Geoffrey. All the while, while everyone had their turn telling what happened during their intervals, Kirby had sat down next to his mentor, slowly inching his way closer.

"At this point, I was trying to stop myself from killing Meta Knight every chance I had, but I really don't remember all that much," Geoffrey sighed, "When I finally woke up, I thought it had all been a dream."

"Me too," Tiff agreed, "I can't believe I really did all those things."

"I must admit, Geoffrey is an accomplished fighter and has been trained well, if not entirely..." Meta Knight paused, when he felt something soft pressing against him, "Honorably..." he finally finished slowly.

Little Kirby just blinked up to his teacher innocently. The pink ball of fluff had made himself very comfortable, nestling next to Meta Knight. But at least Kirby was leaving his cape alone. Sighing, the old warrior just let it be.

"Meh..." Garna muttered nervously, "I've always thought of honor as... sort of a knight's thing. I do the cheating and fight dirty, they do their honorable thing. In the end it all balances out." she finished, sounding quite perky and cheerful.

Meta Knight wasn't entirely sure how to answer this; as Geoffrey had warned many times before, Garna wasn't quite right in the mind. Certainly, Dr. Knarks would attest to that statement as well.

"Are you off your meds, Miss Riverdale?" Dr. Knarks asked.

"What meds?"

"Ah."

So after that exchange, the adventurers were allowed to continue, (coming to Dr. Knarks' favorite part, as a matter of fact), from when they received Razorbeak and boarded the Halberd to battle Ronic and take back the warship.

"I told you Bruno was strong as an ox and half as smart!" Garna snickered, after hearing how Bruno single handedly had taken them all captive, "But it figured that he would have been the one to sit on the Halberd's control panel in the first place too."

"That wasn't easy to fix, believe me." Sword Knight commented, rubbing the side of his head.

Now they were getting to the really good parts; Dr. Knarks and Garna both looked quite approving when Meta Knight explained how he managed to sneak Galaxia under his cape; granted, it did help that Bruno's head was emptier then a hermit's address book.

"Poyo... take everyone's weapons... yup! Poyo, one gulp, too." Kirby added, smiling cutely, "Nearly made a mess of Medi Kni's cape though... Bruno had a hard grip. But I feel better now."

Knuckle Joe and the zwetoock sisters enjoyed a snicker, as did Dedede and Escargoon. Kirby's childish innocence was truly something to marvel. How could anyone else but him say that with a straight face?

"Indeed, little one." Dr. Knarks hissed, while he stroked Nasher as the rat crawled out of his pocket and onto his shoulder, "Tell me, do you have any unpleasant feeling or any other symptoms of-"

"Continue please!" Garna moaned.

Meta Knight was more then grateful for Garna's interruption. The last thing he needed was for Kirby to become one of Dr. Knarks' so-called "patients".

Finally, as Kautounie put it, they came to the "big dumb ending". She and Joe told the story of how they battled with Daisy while Neo told things from her point of view fighting against King Dedede. Naturally, Dreamland's King looked a little guilty after hearing about how he mauled her, though Neo had praised him for his hardiness and might. Six arrows, a lightning bolt, some fire, yet he was still swinging that hammer strong! It finally took a siphon to bring him down. Kirby, with some help and translation from Meta Knight and Tiff, explained how he kept Bruno at bay and distracted, while Meta Knight described every detail about dueling with Ronic.

"Didn't you get my note?" Dr. Knarks sighed, "I wrote down right there to fight him in the dark."

"You might have explained it a bit better!" Meta Knight growled, narrowing his eyes.

"Really now, my good sir knight, where's the fun in that?"

"At least you won the battle in the end!" Roaren cheered, "My heroes!"

Thankfully, no lashings, tongue or otherwise broke out. Garna and Dr. Knarks were both quite impressed with the story of their journeys. Why, it would certainly make a good book. But, story time was over, it was time to make plans. Meta Knight and his two knaves explained the current condition of the Halberd and the fact that they were bringing back armaments and provisions seized when Harmony fell. Though Dr. Knarks didn't find that the least bit interesting, considering he probably wasn't going to see any of it, the monster transporter now on board the Halberd did.

"A Monster Transporter, you say?" Dr. Knarks questioned, his attention peaking.

Meta Knight nodded, "Yes, but naturally with the device having been built by my men under Ronic's control..." he trailed off when he noticed Garna fiddling with a small hand held console.

"Don't you worry about a thing, Captain, I'm already on it." Garna assured the elder star warrior with a gleeful smile.

If Meta Knight could only choose one thing he liked about Garna, it was the fact that she worked fast. His glance trailed off to Geoffrey for a moment, smirking under his mask when the rogue grinned and nodded.

"Miss Riverdale, the Halberd should be fully functional in just a couple days." Sword Knight said.

"My men and even Geoffrey have been working away tirelessly," Meta Knight added, "The Halberd shall fly again!"

"Can't wait! I just know Roaren will be anxiously watching out for you guys night and day to come flying over Thea'or," Garna said, "I would too, but as you know, I've got a club to run here in town."

"Excellent!" Dr. Knarks hissed with glee, "And I myself have been working on something for the ladies of your little crew."

He reached for something off screen, though Garna and Roaren both did a mock cringe just to annoy the draconian. Kautounie, Neo, and Tiff really didn't know what to expect; this was Dr. Knarks, after all. Even Meta Knight placed his hand on Galaxia's hilt.

"Come now, my good sir knight, what are you going to do?" Dr. Knarks sighed, "Sword Beam me through the screen?"

"Don't tempt me!" Meta Knight warned.

"Oh Sir Meta Knight, you're not still sore about our little... misunderstanding, are you?"

Hmph! Misunderstanding, hardly! If Dr. Knarks was referring to drugging him, kidnapping him, shackling him on an examination table, preparing to spew out his guts while he was still alive just so he could take a good look at them, then yes! Meta Knight was still sore about it! He didn't dignify Dr. Knarks with an answer, only his blood red glare.

"Oh have it your own way, then!" Dr. Knarks growled.

The mad doctor rolled his eyes, then held up a rolled up scroll. With a flick of his claw, the parchment unraveled, relieving what was obviously arcane writing, "A spell of my own design just in case there are no monster transporters conveniently within walking distance or you're nowhere near your battleship." he explained, "When cast, any of my Celestial Beasts that are fit for battle shall be summoned to do your bidding. However, it's not quite ready yet, I'm still working out the kinks. Somehow Nasher keeps getting dragged out every time I test the spell."

"Ugh... don't go there boss," Nasher squeaked, "It ain't pretty, I'll tell ya, bitches!"

"Garna... can I please fry him?" Roaren begged.

"Maybe later." Garna muttered, narrowing her eyes, "Strike when he least expects it."

There would be no biting, frying, clawing, cat-fights or anything else of that sort under Meta Knight's watch, not without his permission, anyway. After things settled down between Garna and Dr. Knarks' pets, Tiff, Neo, and Kautounie faced the draconian.

"Are we your test subjects now?" Tiff asked.

"What do you mean by now?" Dr. Knarks muttered.

"Excuse me?" Kautounie growled.

The mad scientist had a rather guilty look in his eye. Did he just let that slip?

"I-I mean to say, that I would be honored if such accomplished mages were to use my spell, of course."

The girls weren't too sure about this, but yet, Dr. Knarks had proven his usefulness. But by no means did they fully trust him or his word. Garna was quick to break the inevitable and uncomfortable silence by inviting everyone to spend an evening at the Knight Club with her, since they could all use some relaxation before setting out to retrieve the final Star Piece on Horva.

"Night club? Which one? I didn't even know they had those here on this planet!" King Dedede said, scratching the back of his head.

"The Knight Club," Geoffrey explained, "It's the boss lady's hangout she runs. Quite a nice roost if I say so myself."

"I'd love to Garna, but I can't," Knuckle Joe sighed, "With the Masher defeated, it's time for me to head out on my own! There's always another monster out there, just waitin' for me to hunt down!"

This came as a surprise to everyone. Knuckle Joe hadn't mentioned this to anyone. Although Kirby and even the Redsuns looked sad to learn he was leaving soon, Meta Knight understood completely. Since he had known Joe, he was always a lone wolf.

"Poyo... poyo?" Kirby asked, sadly.

"Don't you worry about me, Kirby!" Knuckle Joe said, "I'll know where to hunt you guys down again!"

"Knuckle Joe, in case you have forgotten, you're ship... sort of crashed," Garna mentioned, quirking an eyebrow.

"I was plannin' on takin' the gryphon the flyin' freak show sent, Razorbeak!" Knuckle Joe explained,"

"Flying what?!" Dr. Knarks griped, his wings twitching slightly.

"There's still plenty more for me to do on this planet! I gotta keep the monsters off your backs while Kirby regains the use of his Warp Star!" he paused for a moment, smirking at Dr. Knarks as the draconian leveled his nastiest glare yet to him, "You don't mind me borrowin' your gryphon, do ya?"

Although Dr. Knarks and Nasher both glowered at the insult dished out by that little elfy twit, Garna and Roaren fought to hold back their laughter. No one else objected. After all, they had the Halberd and soon they would have Dr. Knarks' scroll, enabling them to summon Celestial Beasts as they saw fit. Besides, Razorbeak had, (for some unknown reason), taken quite a liking to Knuckle Joe. Finally, in a very forced calm tone of voice, Dr. Knarks approved, "Very well, you may BORROW my little Razorbeak. Anything to help out a Star Warrior," he hissed, giving a glare to Garna, (she was just loving every moment of this, especially hearing those words come out of his mouth), "I've got Phantom and Snowfeather back here with me. Garna's funding well spent, if I say so myself."

"Phantom and Snowfeather?" Tiff questioned.

"Who are they?" Tuff added.

"More of my prized beasties, naturally!" Dr. Knarks answered, proudly.

"Well Knuckle Joe, I'd hate to see you go," Geoffrey admitted, "But I know you've got a job to do... as do we."

"We'll miss you, Joe." Tiff added, smiling sadly.

"Don't sweat it! I'll hang around till this bird here is in the air!" Knuckle Joe said, waving his hand in the air.

"Oh good..." Dr. Knarks sighed with as little enthusiasm as possible.

So it was decided. Once the Halberd was in the air again, Knuckle Joe and Razorbeak would go their separate way, waging their own war against Holy Nightmare, making life hell for the demon lord. Dr. Knarks would continue his research, fixing the kinks in his Celestial Summoning spell while Garna prepared for their arrival back in Thea'or.

"I do look forward to our next little chat, but there's Celestial Beasts to make, spells to write, and mayhem to bring!" Dr. Knarks hissed, bowing ever so politely, "A pleasure as always, my good SIR Meta Knight, your highnesses... all of them, ladies, gents, and of course, the adorable little ones, and even the twit!" he added, giving Knuckle Joe one last glare before signing off.

"Geoffrey... if you were able to talk me into giving Nightmare's cash to that guy... then there really is something wrong with my head." Garna growled, "And here I was thinking it was everyone else who wasn't quite right up in there." she added in a dazed sounding whisper, staring off to one of her paintings in the office.

It must have been the one of Nightmare, as she drew one of her many concealed daggers and lobbed it off to the side. Roaren, after complementing Garna's throw, retreated off screen and into the fireplace. He was still a wolfwrath after all.

"But at least it's Nightmare's gold dragons and Denden, not my own going to that son of a bitch, Knarksy. So really, why should I give a shit?" Garna cackled, an insane smile spreading across her face, "Anyway, can't wait to see you all! Gotta go now, shit's getting real at the club tonight. Good luck, Sir Meta Knight, Kirby, Geoffrey, ladies, Tiff, knights, and king. Out."

Kirby and Tiff both waved, while Geoffrey gave his guild mistress a quick salute before Garna had cut off her own communications. The Redsuns didn't seem at all undaunted, but the Dreamlanders were curious about what had just happened. Without a word, Meta Knight shook his head. Now, Garna was most helpful to be certain, but very, VERY strange. He may not ever get used to it, but he had to admit, thief or no, it was good to have her on his side. The elder warrior smiled beneath his mask, gently nudging Kirby to get him to stand up so that he could move.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, curiously.

"All of you are free for the evening. Go now and rest, there is much work to be done come sunup." Meta Knight said before leaving the bridge, beckoning for Kirby to follow him.

Happily, the little pink puffball obliged. And once again, Geoffrey and the two knaves couldn't help but notice that something was just a tad different. Even Dedede and Tiff noticed this time!

"Is it just me, or is there something... a little different between Meta Knight and Kirby." Tiff muttered, "I-I think he's... happier."

"He's got back his big ol' warship, a monster transporter, and he's taken' over one of Nightmare Enterprises' bases! Of course he'd be happy!" King Dedede snorted.

"Nah, I don't think it's just that," Knuckle Joe muttered, "It's somethin' you wouldn't understand, Tubby!"

"Oh yeah? Why wouldn't I?" King Dedede challenged.

"Just because his majesty in a fat, insensitive blowhard doesn't give you the right to point it out to him!" Escargoon shouted.

While Knuckle Joe, Escargoon, and King Dedede had their little verbal war, Kautounie and Neo had roped Tiff into taking a peak at their new spell book before turning in for the evening. It was after all, more dignified and worthwhile then finding out who could make the snappier comebacks. Tiff hadn't really had the chance to read or study for some time. She had nearly forgotten the pleasure she got from it. Even Tuff had been invited over, though in all honesty, he couldn't understand any of it, no matter how hard the girls tried to explain it to him. But Tiff couldn't help but think about Kirby and Meta Knight. The tough old warrior had tried to hide it, but even she could see that under that mask, he was beaming with pride, standing a little taller then usual; though really, that's not saying much.

"You know Tiff, mother had that same sort of look that Sir Meta Knight has now the day she took Geoffrey in as one of the pack." Kautounie mentioned.

Meanwhile Sword, Blade, Geoffrey, and even Knuckle Joe, once he was finished giving the portly penguin king a good tongue lashing, did some touch up work on the bridge to make sure they could have it fully functional by morning. What a night this had become, but it wasn't over yet.

*Captain's Cabin*

Meta Knight relaxed once he and Kirby reached his cabin. Finally... some peace and quiet! The old knight threw back his cape and stretched before turning to his newly adopted son.

"Poyo... daddy?" Kirby asked, tilting his head like a questioning puppy.

Daddy; Meta Knight would still have to get used to that one. It still sounded weird to him, even though he liked it.

"Kirby... you do realize the dangers of being my son... don't you?" Meta Knight asked, quietly, "I will have to train you even harder and longer. There may be times when you'll hate me for it, are you sure you're-?" he cut himself off once Kirby threw his stubby arms around him as far as they would go and nuzzled against him.

"Thanks, daddy." Kirby purred, closing his eyes in contentment.

The elder blue puffball just stood there awkwardly for a moment. He had way more affection dished out in one day then he cared for. At least with this one he was in private with no prying eyes. Though he was worried that Kirby still didn't understand the danger they were both in should Nightmare learn of their bond as father and son. Still, even though he hadn't really been one for very long, Meta Knight did like being a father to the baby warrior.

"You're-you're welcome, my son." Meta Knight said, patting Kirby on the head.

Eventually he pried Kirby off of him. Meta Knight sighed audibly as the little one gave him one of his cute, heart-melting smiles, looking up at him with those innocent blue eyes. Soon enough, that smile turned into a very tired yawn. It was quite late, and they could both use a good night's rest.

"Go on now, off to bed with you, little one," Meta Knight grunted, regaining his usual, tough composure, "At sunup, we begin tomorrow's training regimen. You'll need to learn how to fight while wearing armor."

The elder warrior turned away from his apprentice, knowing that Kirby was perfectly capable of finding his own room by himself. He turned off the lights, leaving him to rest peacefully in blissful darkness. The old knight lay down on his bed and unfurled his bat-like wings to stretch them. Though shortly after reverting his wings back into his cape and closing his eyes, the blue puffball was awoken by something warm and plush brushing up against him and rustling the blankets.

With a grunt, Meta Knight opened his eyes and could see that his newly adopted son was snuggling up next to him. Apparently the little star warrior had silently taken off his armor, as Meta Knight never even heard a sound, then decided to spend the night with his father. Kirby stared back into his father's beautiful golden eyes, muttering a softly spoken "poyo?" At first, Meta Knight thought about pushing him off. But once again, he felt his heart giving in. Besides, he had told Kirby himself that without him, he probably would not be Captain of the Halberd right now. Kirby had always liked spending quality time with him and it was a good way to reward the young one for a job well done.

"Alright, just for tonight, my son." Meta Knight sighed, patting his bedside and inviting Kirby closer.

Well, it would be another night spent sleeping in full armor. But you know, he didn't really care. He liked being with his apprentice, his child. Kirby warmly nuzzled against his father's side, sighing happily. Meta Knight lightly stroked Kirby along the back, feeling his son's steady breathing as he did. Asleep already? Just like the little pink puffball. Meta Knight smiled down at his son, then wrapped a fold of his cape around the young one to keep him warm while he slept.

"You'll need to train hard for me, tomorrow." Meta Knight whispered.

"Mphhh... good night, daddy." Kirby mumbled softly.

"Sleep well, my little warrior. You have much yet to learn... as do I."

 **IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~**

Meta Knight couldn't remember a night in which he had a more blissful rest. Every so often, he could feel his son shifting in his sleep to get more comfortable. But soon enough, his comfort and bliss began to fade, and he could hear that familiar cold voice in the back on his mind, taunting him. The old warrior twitched, but was unable to wake. Nightmare's laugh became louder and louder, until it sounded as though he were only standing about five feet away.

 _"_ _Meta Knight! I knew you have been going soft on me, but this is beyond sickening! You? A father? Honestly?"_ Nightmare cackled, _"How vomitously adorable! Go ahead. Enjoy your time as father and son. It will make it so much more sweeter when I tear your pathetic little family apart! Ahahhahahaaaaaaaaa!"_

The elder warrior woke with a start, covered in cold sweat. His heart was pounding as he looked all around the room. Holy Nightmare was nowhere to be seen and Kirby was still curled up by his side. Meta Knight closed his eyes and settled back down into bed. He took another look at Kirby, just to make sure he was alright.

"Medi Kni? Daddy?" Kirby mumbled sleepily, tiredly blinking his eyes, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, little warrior. Just a dream." Meta Knight sighed.

Although Kirby went back to sleep quickly, Meta Knight couldn't help but wonder if somehow, Nightmare already knew, or if this was just his thoughts and emotions running wild in the back of his mind. Still, even for their victory this day, the old star warrior had a premonition that something terrible was about to happen.

*Neo's Nightmare*

Deep in the night, Neo's thoughts and dreams had shifted from memorization of spells and the events of the past days to something else entirely. She wasn't quite sure where she was at first, then the cub realized that she was perched atop the Halberd's main cannon as the magnificent warship sailed through the skies. It was nighttime and a heavy snow was falling, though a great fire illuminated the ground from below.

"No... it-it can't be..." Neo whispered.

She didn't want to believe it, but it was right in front of her eyes. The Free City was in ruins and burning, overrun by demon beasts and the massive battleships of Nightmare's fleet. Then Neo saw him. Materializing out of the darkness, Nightmare appeared, his starry cloak opened up to reveal the emptiness of space within, pouring more and more of his foul creations into the world. Soaring out of his void was a dragon, it's scales painted black by dark magic, breathing plumes of red flame over the ruined city. Neo closed her eyes as she heard the screams of the people below as their guardian and protector was turned against them by the Dark One's evil.

Nightmare laughed cruelly, stroking a large, horrible beast that stood by his side. A monstrous creature with three heads, that of a red dragon, a lion, and goat. Neo nearly felt her heart stop when Nightmare ordered his beasts forward to start attacking the Halberd. Why was no one fighting back? Where were the other dragons of Horva? Then she saw them. Her family, her companions, Geoffrey, Kautounie, and Tiff, dead, suspended in the air like puppets made of flesh and bone. They stared right back at her with empty, milky white eyes. Meta Knight and Kirby were held captive in Nightmare's cruel and relentless grasp. The harder they struggled, the more Nightmare tortured them. It was sickening, this wasn't real! It just had to be a bad dream. Then Nightmare spoke,

 _"_ _This war was won before it even started," Nightmare hissed, "Now then, I'll be taking my children home with me if you don't mind. As for you three..."_

At his orders, the zombie abominations of Geoffrey, Kautounie, and Tiff all started forward, mindlessly grasping with grotesque and bloody hands.

"This-this can't be real... Sundar save us..." Neo whimpered, flattening her ears against her skull.

Just as Nightmare's animations of Neo's companions should have struck, she woke. The zwetoock cub panted heavily and her heart was racing. Beside her in the bed next to her, Kautounie was awake as well. She didn't look scared like Neo, but she was certainly thinking hard. Kautounie looked over to her sister and said, "You had one too, didn't you, little sis?"

*Kautounie's Nightmare*

Kautounie didn't know what this strange feeling slowly peaking inside her was, but she ignored it. She had no idea where she was, only that there were demon beasts close at hand. The zwetoock held her Defender in a death grip, the blade already painted red with blood. She didn't notice, as her mind was focused on the hunt, as her surroundings shifted to the vastness of space, illuminated only by the stars. The only noise that could be heard was the light clicking of claws on a smooth surface, a chessboard of grand proportion to be exact. Littering the game board were many broken figures, representing star warriors, dragons, and Redsun zwetoocks. There were also a few figures of a different pack of zwetoocks. Not Bloodtooths. Stargazers, perhaps. Among their broken game tokens was a figure of a powerful stallion, the upper half of it's rider on the ground beside it.

Then Kautounie saw him, taunting her from the darkness behind a row of ravenous demon beasts. Nightmare! With a war hungry cry, Kautounie leaped forward, bringing the Defender down upon him, leaving nothing more then his laugh and starry cloak behind.

 _"_ _Missed me, my dear!"_ Holy Nightmare taunted, reappearing behind her.

With a grunt, Kautounie took another swing, only to have the blade pass through him harmlessly. Nightmare just stood there patiently as the young warrioress delivered sword swing after sword swing, spell after spell, none of it so much as leaving a scuff on his armor. The zwetoock had to take a minute to catch her breath, all the while, the mighty demon lord just smiled down at her.

"Go ahead, UnDeva Noirdomak! Do whatever you want to me! I'm not afraid of you!" Kautounie shouted, "Did you hear me? I DO NOT FEAR YOU!"

 _"_ _Oh my little princess, you may have no fear in your heart, but I know you have love,"_ Nightmare purred, _"And love is far easier to exploit then fear."_

The evil lord waved his hand, summoning the figures of Riley Prescott and Dusk to step down from her pedestals. Riley said nothing to Kautounie; only smiled. Dusk just chuckled softly, flexing his raven wings with an insufferable and smug smirk on his face. One by one, the figures representing Kirby, Meta Knight, Tiff, Geoffrey, and Neo were released, though they all looked considerably weakened. Riley stooped over them, holding them with her ethereal chains while Dusk started with Kirby and Neo first.

"You know me, I always liked to start with the children first." Riley taunted.

"Adorable and innocent little things..." Dusk signed. "A pity."

Kautounie roared and snapped forward, only to be held back by Nightmare's torturous grasp. As she struggled to break free, she could see the rest of her companions fighting with what power they had left, but to no avail.

The zwetoock could only sit there and watch as her family and friends were tortured relentlessly, but not being allowed to die and let the suffering end. Their pained screams echoed in her ears, and if she turned away, Nightmare would force her to watch.

 _"_ _What's this? I thought you didn't mind blood. At least you didn't when you sent me the heads of three Prescotts!"_ Nightmare hissed, _"Oh, you may not care about what I do to you, but you do care about what I do to them! Now you will watch, young one!"_

"For how long?" Kautounie asked, quivering with anger as she saw her sister's blood spill onto the floor.

Nightmare didn't answer right away, as he was much more interested in watching Glasya tear into Meta Knight, leaving him to writhe in pain while Riley did everything she could to keep him alive as long as possible. Tiff and Kirby were both screaming, just before being dragged away to be tortured again. Geoffrey meanwhile, had become unresponsive from shock as a faint darkness flowed into him. Kautounie could hear another voice coming from within Geoffrey, that she could only guess was his father.

 _"_ _For as long as it pleases me!"_ Nightmare answered at last.

 **IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~**

After exchanging their different stories, the two sisters tried to decipher what they meant. Perhaps it was a glimpse into the future, or perhaps, nothing at all. One thing that was for sure, they were graphic and very, very vivid.

"Kautounie, our mother is a diviner. What if we have the gift as well?" Neo suggested, "What if these nightmares we had are actually warnings?"

"Or maybe they're nothing at all," Kautounie sighed, "Sometimes even mother has a difficult time deciphering messages sent by the Great Sundar or just ordinary dreams. But I can tell you're disturbed, and I have to admit, I too am a little... disturbed. It's a strange feeling, how do you and the others put up with it?"

Neo laughed softly, "We've been trying to figure out how you don't see it when it's right in front of you."

"However, we should keep our minds open and senses cleared." Kautounie said, "The Great Dragon works in mysterious ways. We must keep our faith."

The elder zwetoock climbed out of her bed and sat down beside her sister, allowing Neo to cuddle up next to her. Eventually, Neo fell asleep in Kautounie's lap while the elder zwetoock combed through her mane with her fingers. The beasts Neo described, painted dragons and the chimera. It had to mean something. Or maybe nothing at all. Kautounie thought long and hard before falling asleep herself. She was very tired, and tomorrow was a busy day. Still, it might be a good idea to let the others know what they saw.

 **Author's Notes::** Okay, the big "Three Oh!", and to be honest, I had no idea it would ever get this far. Who knew? Anyway, epic three way chats, (Come on, when you get Garna, Meta Knight, and Dr. Knarks together, you know there's gonna be a good time.) I couldn't help but throw in a Pokemon reference, that being one of my other fandoms, plus it's one of my thoughts while watching Kirby: Right Back at Ya. There's also some stuff going on with Nightmare. Can he actually trust Riley or is she just using him? Or perhaps Glasya just hates her for sending Balor to his death. Only I know, and I'm not telling! Ha. Ha. Ha.

Moving on, we've got some more father/son bonding with Kirby and Meta Knight... "awwwwww"... but don't get too comfortable. Knuckle Joe, the little lone wolf, has to take his leave and the Redsun sisters have their own terrible nightmares. Are they warnings, or are they just bad thoughts. I don't really know, but something is telling me that sending the most powerful demon lord in the galaxy three heads of his followers was not a very wise idea.

A few more things, something my brother told me while we read this chapter together; Dr. Knarks is one of the few people who can grovel and blow his own horn all at the same time.

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	32. Composure and Compromise

In You're Nightmares, Composure and Compromise

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Suggestion of Bad Stuff Happening.

'Now that our business in the desert is over, I'm ready to leave! Unfortunately, there's still more work to be done on the Halberd before we can take off. In the mean time, the Redsun sisters and I have been going through Ronic's spell book and they've also been teaching Tuff and myself how to speak Zwetoock... and it is not easy! I can't figure out how Geoffrey and Meta Knight speak this weird language so fluently, it's like combining Japanese with dog barks! Oh well, learning a new language could be advantageous. We wanted to teach Kirby too, but he has enough trouble learning how to speak English. One other thing! The Redsun sisters think that I might be ready to start learning some of the more powerful spells like Lightning Bolt and Fireball. I can't wait! As for our next Star Piece, I'm not sure where to go exactly. The Star Piece I hold is now very dim. But it shines brightest when I point to the East. Perhaps once we get to the Crimson Woods, Kabu can send us in the right direction. On a side note, Kirby and I were both a little upset to learn of Knuckle Joe's decision to leave. That boy will always be a lone wolf, it seems, but at least he'll have Razorbeak with him.'

The Thoughts of Tiff Ebrum

'This morning, my sister and I ambushed Sir Meta Knight in the hall while he and Kirby were on their way outside to begin their training together. Thankfully, he was willing to listen to what Kautounie and I had to say. Sir Meta Knight knows our mother and what she is, plus I know for a fact that he's been having vivid nightmares as well. Hey, I'm a healer, I notice these things! Anyway, Sir Meta Knight wasn't quite sure what to make of what we described to him, though I could see the worry in his golden eyes. I think Kirby still might be too young to fully understand the complexity of these disturbing dreams. Hell, I may be to young to fully understand. Unfortunately, as I feared, Sir Meta Knight informed us that all we can do right now is get the Halberd back in flying shape and go to Thea'or with all haste. Not what we wanted to hear, but what else can we do?'

The Thoughts of Neo Redsun

'Well, Neo and I have gotten Sir Meta Knight's two cents, now all we can do is wait for his boys to fix up his ship. At least with Geoffrey on the team, the repairs should go ahead of schedule. Sir Meta Knight said so himself that we should be able to fly out of here by tomorrow evening. I've already taken care of all the corpses that littered the battlefield. Yup, after the Waddle Dees cleared out our treasure hoard and anything else of value, a good solid fireball down in the pit was enough to get the party started. Hmph, a funeral fit for kings, I'm not sure they really deserved it, but it made Meta Knight happier then just leaving the poor lifeless saps to the mercy of the snakes, insects, and buzzards... which was my idea. But enough with that! While Sir Meta Knight and Kirby train, my sweet sis and I are watching our favorite puffballs duel while we go through Ronic's spell book and teach Tiff and Tuff our kind's language. Hehe, what fun!'

The Thoughts of Kautounie Redsun

'Part of me doesn't wanna leave. I've come to really like this group of oddballs and weirdos! Even King Tubby himself his startin' to grow on me... a little. Heh, heh. But I'm a monster hunter! There are many more out there on this planet I've gotta bag and keep off Kirby's tail. That kid's grown much stronger then the last time we met. Even though I'll be gone, my friends wont be alone in this fight! Maybe I'll see if I can get back with Garna sometime. We both share the hobby of makin' life Hell for Nightmare Enterprises. Somethin' else for anyone that's listenin', I remember hearing from my father, long ago... he told me that a true Star Warrior can fly anything. I wonder if a gryphon counts? I guess I'll find out.'

The Thoughts of Knuckle Joe

'Sir Meta's boys in green armor and myself got an early jump on this morning's work. We were actually up before HE was! We've fixed the damage to the control panel Bruno in all his wisdom sat on, so now we can get this bird in the air and actually STEER her. It's just a question of whether all our calibrations are correct. Next up there's the damages to the shield generator and of course, the guns... all those wonderful, gorgeous guns! And of course, the reactor. Dear Sundar, I feel like a kid in a candy store wandering about the Halberd. On a side note, Sword and Blade were kind enough to bring me my and my sisters' missing guns and gear that we sort of left on board. Ah, I've got Black Beauty back in my hands. What a feeling. You know I really like those two, plus we've got some stuff in common. I am a thief, and they were thieves at one point in their lives. And we're both loyal, *snort*, not to mention taller then our bosses too!'

The Thoughts of Geoffrey 'Redsun' Collins

'Hmmm, I can't help but wonder about those vivid dreams described to me by Kautounie and Neo. I myself have been having very vivid nightmares, sometimes they feel so real I'm sure they actually happened, like the one I had last night. Nightmare taunting me about my choice to become Kirby's father rather then just be his teacher, the burning of Thea'or that Neo told me about, and Nightmare using his puppets to torture us as Kautounie described. Considering everything we have seen, I will heed these as warnings. Unfortunately, I fear my son is still to young to fully understand, but he can tell that something's bothering me, even if I say nothing. Kirby's a clever one. As soon as the Halberd flies, we set sail for the Free City and Crimson Woods.

The Thoughts of Sir Meta Knight

'Poyo... apparently Neo and Kauto have been having bad dreams like daddy... and me. Even Tiff had one a few nights ago. Poyo, poy, all of us having bad dreams. Neo and Kauto think it's a warning, but I don't understand. Nightmares are scary, but not real... just dreams... but... poyo... Nightmare... he can invade dreams... hmmm, but he not here... Kirby so confused. Daddy Medi Kni's been having really bad dreams, even though he doesn't talk about them... poyo... gotta go back to training.'

The Thoughts of Kirby

*The Badlands, Felldersai Taa*

Felldersai Taa, one of he most feared places in Horva, second only to the Dead Mountain itself. Those ever imprisoned within it's black walls were said never to escape, not even in death. Plagued by evil spirits and crawling with demons and undead, Felldersai Taa is easily the most horrendous prison owned by Nightmare Enterprises. However, age had not been kind to the ruined fortress. Many chunks of stone and steel were missing from the battered, bloodstained walls and the iron was smoldered and full of rust. Three of Felldersai's twelve towers had been demolished completely, their remains littering the courtyard below. Atop one of the towers still standing, was a tattered banner bearing Nightmare's colors, and another with the sigil of the Bloodtooth, blowing in the harsh, cold wind. There was a powerful stench lingering in the air, the unmistakable smell of blood and death.

From the tallest tower of the ruined stronghold, Dusk perched himself, looking down over the courtyard and surrounding lands. The Sharp Peaks, where Felldersai Taa resided, was surrounded by the waters of Wight Lake, sealing Felldersai on an island made of jagged gray stone, making a direct assault from the ground impossible.

Down below, Dusk could see his crews, slaves, and demon beasts working tirelessly, fixing the charred stone walls and rebuilding the armaments. Next, he turned his gaze to Wight Lake, and the narrow bridge connecting Felldersai Taa to the land on the other side of the water. Huge chunks of ice drifted in the blackened lake, and dead trees pierced the water's surface while a thick fog began to roll in, creating a most eerie atmosphere. There were several bramble bushes and more dying trees along the shoreline. Always dark and always cold, this place, the very land itself, spawned an evil all it's own.

With a smirk, the gray batamon leaped from his perch, spread his wings, and swooped over the battlements, around the courtyard, then over the walls to Wight Lake. Amongst the ice, rocks, and long dead trees, Dusk could see movement in the water; there was something swimming down there.

Suddenly, a loud howl from the fortress caught the bounty hunter's attention.

"Ah, that would be Miachang." Dusk mused to himself.

With the grace of a swallow, the bounty hunter twisted around in the air and soared back to Felldersai Taa. He landed in the courtyard, shifting his wings back into a cape before striding forward. The batamon didn't care that he was smaller then any of the demon beasts, humans, lizardmen, and zwetoocks, as everyone who knew Dusk knew just how dangerous he was.

"My lord Dusk!" called a large greater hell hound with a raspy voice, "They've finally arrived, the parts for your Monster Transporter." he reported, "Most of them, anyway..."

Dusk stopped in his tracks coolly and turned around, causing the hound to flinch and whimper, " Oh come on, dog. I'm not Riley! You must have worked for that Harpy before..." he grumbled, muttering angrily to himself.

"As a matter of fact, lord... that's why I'm here!" the hell hound growled, turning his body to the side so Dusk could get a better look.

Dusk quirked an eyebrow when he saw the huge, still raw and open wound on the beast's side, possibly from a sword beam strike. He certainly didn't notice that before! More injuries began to form along the demon's body, mostly nicks and cuts from sword strikes. After Dusk got a full view of every battle wound, the injuries faded away.

"Oh... oh I see." Dusk said, squinting his eyes, "I'm just... curious my friend... but what was your name while you lived?"

The spirit of the alpha demon growled angrily, "Balor, my lord,... Alpha Balor." the hound answered, "I died fighting in single combat... against Meta Knight!"

"Very well, carry on."

The undead hound bowed, then trotted off, phasing through the castle walls as he did. Dusk still had to get used to all of that. He preferred it when corpses stayed dead. However, having an entire army of undead within the walls of your keep and in the surrounding lands was a good way to keep unwanted pests out or to keep the unwilling in. Yes, this place would be perfect for the guests Dusk was expecting. He chuckled to himself in a most sinister way, thinking of all the cold, hard cash he would be swimming in by the time this job was done!

Dusk snapped from his thoughts when a loud bark and yap caught his attention. As naturally as the batamon could, he yipped right back, looking up to the zwetoock standing on the edge of Felldersai's wall. The zwetoock, a female, jumped down, landing gracefully on her feet. She was thin, nearly emaciated with the first signs of mange afflicting her. Several tattered feathers decorated her messy red mane. In her hands, she held a staff, topped with a goblin skull. She wasn't wearing much, only a tattered purple loincloth. As a decoration, if Dusk had to guess, the zwetoock carried a Star Warrior's mask at her side. On her shoulder, was a small, monkey-like demon with wings and a long tail with a barb at the end of it; an imp.

"Miachang Bloodtooth, your highness." Dusk commented as he bowed.

"Come Gray One... the Deva Noirdomak and the Chimera await!" Miachang growled, leading the way into the the ruined castle.

Her imp hissed and spat at Dusk, only to be quelled by his mistress' paw as she scratched the little monster behind it's ear.

Inside Felldersai was just as horrible, if not more so, then outside. There was the smell of rot and death trapped within the halls and a strong feeling of despair hung heavy in the air. If one were to listen closely, you could hear the moans and cries of those still trapped within the walls, and they became louder the further in one went. After making their way through the maze of corridors, Dusk and Miachang found themselves in the large, open throne room, though it couldn't really be called that anymore, considering what was left of the throne was in pieces on the ground.

The throne room was dark, illuminated only by a few torches along the support pillars keeping the roof in place and very dim, flickering lights up above. A tattered red and purple carpet stretched from the giant double doors all the way to the steps of the dais on the other end of the room. The floors were made of glass-like obsidian while the walls had been sculpted from the same rocks that formed the Sharp Peaks. Behind the raised dais where the throne once stood was a broken stained glass window. Inside there were a few human occultists and some zwetoocks, of which the most powerful looking male bounded to Miachang's side. Patches of fur on his shoulders and legs were missing and he was covered in scars. The rugged zwetoock wore bits and pieces of armor that he had won from fallen enemies in previous battles, and he too carried the mask of a star warrior by his side as a trophy. He growled something at Dusk, flicking his ears as he did so while curling his mouth into an evil smile.

"Zorra..." Miachang whispered into her mate's ear, calming him down.

Zorra; as far as Dusk was concerned, that dog was trouble, which obviously meant they got along famously. But not as much trouble as the gray phantasm sifting through the wall and taking shape in the room. Unlike Zorra, this man even gave Dusk the creeps, and for good reason. He looked like Geoffrey, but much older and with graying hair. The man wore a black duster, though upon closer inspection it was cut in a number of places and blood was still dripping out the open wounds. Right in his heart was where the worst of his wounds was, like a sword had been driven right through it.

"Good Afternoon... Gerard..." Dusk groaned, rubbing the side of his head.

Oh... why couldn't the dead just STAY dead? It was bad enough that Nightmare liked to take Gerard's visage as his mortal form.

"Heh, you know me, Dusk! I was always saying that once I was killed I'd come back to haunt you!" the ghost of Gerard Collins snorted in a slick yet grizzly voice, crossing his arms, "I just didn't think it would actually happen like this."

Dusk groaned audibly again, but his attention was quickly grabbed by the angry visages taking up most of the large screen on the side of the wall.

Miachang and Zorra both did strange gestures with their hands, dropping to their knees as they did in some sort of ritualistic greeting. Dusk subtly rolled his eyes, having seen the Alphess and Alpha of the Bloodtooth Pack do something like this not too long ago. They worshiped Nightmare devoutly, he on the other hand, worshiped Nightmare's money, something His Grace knew all too well. Gerard only grumbled to himself, something about that 'large-chinned asshole taking HIS visage as his mortal form,' before fading away.

"Ah, Your Grace, Milady Prescott." Dusk announced, "Felldersai Taa is doing splendidly well. Not much of a summer home what with all the spirits and corpses running around, but there's a nice view of the lake from the castle walls. Well then, what orders have we today?"

"Silence, Dusk!" Riley snapped, only to be silenced herself by Nightmare as he raised his hand; how dare she speak before him!

The witch bowed, quietly begging her lord's forgiveness. Satisfied, Nightmare began, "Hpmh, it's a start at least! Considering that it's coming from you. Dusk, the fleet is already on their way! Tomorrow... Horva becomes our battlefield!"

Dusk smiled broadly. What a great way to beat his quarry into the open. And it was only going to get better from there.

"These knights, thieves, and wizards have crossed me for the last time!" Nightmare snarled.

"Well, you should both be pleased to know that with the help of my furry friends out here, I have the entire Stargazer Pack, including their Alpha Pair, imprisoned within the walls of Felldersai," Dusk announced, proudly, "Those dogs wont cause you anymore trouble."

Nightmare only leveled a glare to Dusk; was this a joke?

"So you've wrangled up some barbarian horse lords, what of it?" Nightmare snarled.

"Considering the hostile reception the Stargazers were given back in Harmony, it would be highly unlikely they would ever become your allies. Besides, the har-I-I mean, her ladyship has had a run in or three with them in the past." Dusk explained, "Trust me, my liege, they are no friends of yours."

"I hate to say it, but he's right." Riley sighed.

"Very well, you will be compensated for your efforts. Besides, I could always use fresh, living meat to train my demon beasts. Good practice targets are often in short supply." Nightmare shrugged, "But fresh meat aside, what of that thorn in my side? Or Kirby and his little band?"

As they spoke, Dusk and the zwetoocks couldn't help but notice the loud roars coming from the background. It certainly sounded like he had received the Alphess Bloodtooth's gift!

"I have a plan all set, Milord," Dusk stated, "If all goes well, that little shit Garna Riverdale will be dead and you'll have your little band of freedom fighters delivered to you in chains or body bags, whichever you prefer. Or even both if necessary."

"You'd better be right, Dusk! Bring me all of them at once, none of this 'one at a time' crap! For the Redsuns and the girl, I'll pay you whether they be alive or corpses; however you know I prefer breathing bodies, it's much more fun to transmorph them to my will. But for Kirby and Meta Knight... bring me those two alive! No exceptions, no excuses." Nightmare ordered.

Dusk could hear Gerard snort and laugh right behind him, though his now faintly visible spirit was shooed away by Miachang. Relieved that his human, or rather once human, rival was gone, (again,) Dusk continued.

"Your Grace... may I be as bold as to ask why you want those two in particular alive?" Dusk asked.

Nightmare only smirked, showing his sharp teeth. His shoulders hunched as he began to laugh, "Well, with Meta Knight, I'd like the pleasure of snuffing him myself, especially after he used my little... gift I gave to him against me. As for little Kirby, there's still a chance that he could be... retrained. He's not even close to maturing fully yet and if Meta Knight's oh so careful grooming and conditioning could be undone, then Kirby could easily be reverted back into the demon beast I intended for him to be!"

Both Riley and Dusk looked quite surprised. It was an unexpected move by Nightmare, and a risk to be certain, but one that could pay off in the long run. But there was those annoying things called friends that stood between Kirby and Nightmare. Well, they would just have to go.

"I know you specialize in bringing your clients live prey, as you call it, Dusk," Nightmare added, "It's the only reason I even considered you for the task in the first place."

"You have heard his Grace. Are you up to the challenge, Dusk?" Riley questioned, "Or should we find another bounty hunter?"

Hmph, yeah, good luck finding another bounty hunter!

"As His Grace and her ladyship command." Dusk said, taking a bow.

"I was hoping you'd say that," Nightmare hissed, wrapping his cloak around himself, "Things will end differently this time!"

"Just so long as the price is right." Dusk snorted, knowing full well he was striking one of Nightmare's last nerves.

While Dusk spoke with Riley and Nightmare, gathering as much information about current events as he could, Miachang had already sent her imp off towards the Dead Mountain to her mother to alert the pack to be ready for their attack. All that could be spared must be rallied. Tomorrow, the Great Wars truly start up again!

"All hail the Holy Bringer of Darkness!" Miachang began.

"The red sun shall turn black and cover the moon. No dragons shall soar the skies and no stars will shine!" Dusk finished.

Thankfully, Riley and Nightmare had been considerate enough to cancel their communications, much to Dusk's relief. The less time spent with those two the better. There was a lot to do, and only a short amount of time to do it in. Dusk needed to prepare his ship for battle, and make sure his "guests'" quarters were ready for them when they arrived. How he loved war; the death, violence, and of course, money. Lots and lots of money to be had once the slaughter was over.

"You didn't give em' the whole story, Gray One." Gerard whispered, reforming behind Dusk, "What about the little girl that got away?"

Dusk turned and glared at the assassin's ghost, narrowing his orange gaze, "What those two don't know wont hurt them."

"You were always one for holding back the truth, for lying... that's what I liked about you, and I think I like it more now that I'm dead." Gerard chuckled, "By the way, how's my boy doing? I hear he's on that list of yours."

*Harmony, under the shade of the Halberd's Wing*

At sunup, just as Meta Knight had said, he and his apprentice went outside to train under the shade of the Halberd's large bat-like wing. The two puffballs had a small audience too. Tiff and the Redsun sisters were going through their new spell book. Kautounie and Neo had also been teaching Tiff and Tuff how to speak zwetoock, which was in a word, amusing to say the least. Geoffrey and Knuckle Joe sat next to the Redsun sisters and the Ebrum siblings, cheering Kirby on while muttering their own commentary about the practice fight to each other. Lastly, Razorbeak the gryphon was resting atop the Halberd's wing sunning himself and doing as little as possible.

Kirby was having a harder time keeping up with his mentor. It was a different experience fighting while wearing armor. The armor provided extra protection, yes, but it was also extra weight, something the smaller pink puffball wasn't used too. Kirby was getting tired much quicker, but that only made Meta Knight push him harder. He knew many techniques and skills, now he needed to show that he could use them while wearing a suit of armor.

"Come on, Kirby, focus!" Meta Knight ordered, delivering a strike to the shoulder.

The armor protected Kirby, though to be fair, it still hurt.

"Poyo... Medi Kni..." Kirby panted, tossing back his cape.

His mentor gave him an expectant look, just daring the pink puffball to make his next attack. Kirby obliged, sending a Sword Beam Meta Knight's way. The old knight dodged, giving his student more prodding. What happened next was something the old veteran never saw coming. Kirby opened up his mouth to start his inhale, sucking up sand and small rocks, nearly taking the girls' spell book and even Knuckle Joe into the vortex. Before the elder warrior could scold him for using his copy ability during practice, Kirby spat his inhaled objects in the form of star shaped projectiles, completely catching Meta Knight off guard. Meta Knight tumbled to the ground, not entirely sure what just happened.

"Poyo, Medi Kni?" Kirby asked.

"Okay... I don't know what he did right there, but that was good!" Geoffrey commented.

"Kirby, that was way too close!" Knuckle Joe shouted, "Next time try to swallow Meta Knight, not me!"

"Yes, yes, thank you Knuckle Joe and Geoffrey." Meta Knight grumbled as he got back to his feet.

To be fair, the chorus of giggles and laughter from the girls wasn't helping much either. Tiff had often complained that Meta Knight trained Kirby far to harshly. In her mind, seeing the noble warrior tumble ass over teakettle was just what she had been waiting to see.

Kirby smiled sheepishly as the elder blue warrior pointed his sword at him.

"As for you, little one, I don't know if I should praise or scold you!" Meta Knight sighed, "You've had enough of a breather, back to it then!"

"Yeah, he just took in a great big one!" Geoffrey shouted.

Mentor and apprentice continued their training, though Meta Knight was becoming wise to Kirby's Star Spitting. Technically, the young one wasn't using his copy ability, and it would be good for Kirby to learn other means of attack. But as their practice fight raged on, Meta Knight could tell his apprentice was completely exhausted. He was working him harder then usual, since sunup that morning and it was nearly afternoon by now, plus there was the heat to contend with and the heavy metal armor that Kirby wasn't used to yet. But he felt pride seeing that his apprentice wasn't giving in. He knew his son wanted to make him proud.

"Good, good, you can only grow stronger, my little warrior." Meta Knight praised, "But remember now, there is more to being a knight then just sheer might!"

At Kirby's questioning look, Meta Knight unfurled his wings, making a fast dash for his apprentice. With a startled squeak, the smaller warrior whipped out his concealed combat knife to block while striking with the Winterclaw. Meta Knight chuckled softly, "Well done... a knight must think and act quickly!"

Meta Knight skidded to a halt and turned around, folding his wings and transforming them back into his cape. With a flap of his dimensional cape, he vanished, then reappeared behind Kirby. Panting heavily but not ready to give up the fight, the younger warrior turned around and retaliated with a swing from Winterclaw and his knife, along with an attempted kick. He then glanced up to his mentor's golden blade's point, which was right at his throat. Kirby lowered his eyes in shame, exhausted.

"Lastly, a knight must be judgmental and wise." Meta Knight finished, gently lowering his sword tip.

Kirby still looked disappointed, only looking up when his father's gloved hand lifted his chin up.

"You may not have won our duel today, Kirby, but I'm still very proud of you. Naturally, we will need to work harder. One day, you wont even notice that you're wearing your armor." Meta Knight chuckled softly.

"Poyo... just like you?" Kirby asked, his spirits lifting.

"Yes, just like me." Meta Knight sighed, "Go on young one take a rest. You could use one and to be honest, so could I."

"Awwwww..." Geoffrey commented.

"Shut up, Geoffrey." Meta Knight grumbled.

Meta Knight took a seat away from the others, resting against the hull of his battleship, closing his eyes for a moment. He began mumbling to himself, counting, if anyone were to pay attention, stopping once he felt a familiar plush and cuddly form lean against him. The elder warrior opened one golden eye, a smirk concealed behind his mask. Sure enough, Kirby had settled down right next to him, just as Meta Knight predicted he would.

"I am proud to call you my son, little warrior." he muttered softly.

While Kirby and Meta Knight settled down together for a breather, Tiff and the Redsun sisters took it up to do a little spell casting. Their morning training time was nearly over, and work on the Halberd must intervene, but first, the ladies wanted to show some of the new spells they had acquired. Tiff started out with a very useful, not to mention rare spell called Remove Curse. At first they weren't sure what to use it on, then Knuckle Joe suggested the medallions that they had taken from the occultists back on the coastline. Well, they were enchanted, but that's all they knew at this point, so why not? Sure enough, the medallion convulsed, then a thick black aura was forced out, leaving the medallion as nothing more then just a pretty trinket.

"Whoa, good thing we never put one of those things on!" Neo mentioned, her eyes as round as gold coins.

"You're telling me." Tiff muttered, just as surprised.

Before they began with any more spells, Geoffrey handed the ladies the other medallion for them to de-curseify. Once through with the miniature crisis, they took turns showing off new combat spells. Kautounie had found a new favorite, Spikes, which as the name suggests, conjured several spikes that could be used as projectiles, a shield, or even formed into a protective wall. Tiff displayed one called Torrent, which summoned a swift current of ocean water that would sweep opponents right off their feet. Should all three of them use it together, it would make things difficult for an oncoming advance; they would just have to be careful not to catch their friends in the current. Lastly, Neo showed off an interesting spell called Fusion. This nifty gem of a spell could combine two currently existing spells into one. As an example, Neo used the Fusion spell to combine her Lightning Bolt with her Scald, forming a most dangerous mixture of electricity and water that would be sure to light up just about any adversary. Not only that, but Fusion could also join two of the same spell together for a more devastating effect, similar to the Chain Lightning that Neo and Kautounie had created together.

Suddenly, Kirby became quite entranced, watching how the girls began mixing and matching their different spells together to get different effects, "Poyo... Medi Kni, do you think... that I could do that?" he asked, "Use two copy abilities at once?"

"I for one certainly would not doubt it." Meta Knight answered.

Meanwhile, Tuff and Knuckle Joe found themselves wondering how the girls could possibly figure out this stuff. The words in the books made no logical sense to them.

"Don't feel to bad, I can't understand any of it either." Geoffrey shrugged, "Besides, from what I understand, only those with the 'gift', as it were, can even read the language of magic. But I'd like to see any of them try to give this baby a tune up." he added, gesturing to the Halberd.

After a short while, Meta Knight gave out a call, summoning his improvised mechanics and letting them know that the break was over. However, before anyone could get back on board, Kirby and the Redsun sisters could see something glinting in the sunlight, walking down the road that cut through the town of Harmony. At first, it was difficult to make out, but then once it got closer, everyone could see that it was their old pal, Vol'drocken. Now how this guy knew exactly where to find them was anyone's guess.

"That's strange, how did he get all the way out here?" Tiff asked.

"How did he find us on the coastline of Portside?" Geoffrey snorted.

"Or Thea'or where we met him in the first place." Kautounie added.

"Ummm... who even is that?" Tuff asked.

"Vol'drocken. He's our stalk-er-I mean friend... yes, friend." Geoffrey said, quickly catching himself.

"He's a weirdo, that's what." Knuckle Joe muttered.

While they conversed, the strange old red knight turned from the road, walking right towards them, calmly, yet full of purpose. His golden mask and shoulder guards gleamed beautifully in the desert sunlight. Cautiously, Kirby and his team gathered to meet their odd admirer in the center of their improvised training field.

"Poyo, poyo!" Kirby chided, waving his little pink arm in the air.

The Redsuns did their usual zwetoock greeting while the rest settled for just a wave. Vol'drocken seemed quite pleased with the greeting he was given, as his green eyes radiated happily.

"Vol'drocken, Milord." Neo greeted, politely.

"My ladies, good sirs, "Vol'drocken began, "I thought I might find you here. Victorious in the end, I see," he mused, gazing up to the impressive Battleship Halberd, "My, my, how you've all grown since I met you, especially you, my little friend." he said, gesturing to Kirby.

Even the old red knight had to take a gander at Kirby's new wardrobe, to which he nodded to Meta Knight. He couldn't help but notice just how much closer the two batamons were, but he didn't say anything, much to Meta's relief.

"You utilized great intuition and judgment, letting your minds do the work before your swords." Vol'drocken praised, "Together, you uncovered the mystery of this little desert town and freed your companions, crew, and families from terrible fates."

Tiff found herself nervously glancing to the rest of the team for answers, considering she didn't have any. Just how could this guy know about what happened? Like utilizing their intuition and judgment while snooping around. Perhaps some things were better left unknown. At least (so far as she could tell,) this red batamon was on their side. Tuff, not having any past experience with Vol'drocken, was at a complete loss.

"Now then, I believe that you, my princess, have something of mine." Vol'drocken announced, his green eyes landing on Kautounie.

At first, Kautounie was at a bit of a loss. She wasn't sure what Vol'drocken wanted, and it didn't help that all eyes were on her either.

"What did you pick up that he wants?" Knuckle Joe asked.

"I'm... not... quite... sure." Kautounie muttered, pausing between each word.

It was amazing how the zwetoock could carry so much with her. She pulled out a few gold dragons and silver shanks from the pockets of her hoodie. Vol'drocken shook his head. With that bust, Kautounie went through the pouch at her side which contained more gold dragons and even some Denden, various spell components, shotgun shells, bullets, a few pieces of hard candy, a pocket-sized photo of Meta Knight which she promptly hid from prying eyes, (though not before enduring some snickers from Geoffrey and Knuckle Joe,) and lastly, that old beat up set of keys she found while rummaging through that junk pile out in the desert.

"Ah-ha, that's it!" Vol'drocken said, pointing to the keys, "That's the second treasure, thank you for finding it, Milady."

With a shrug to the rest of her teammates, Kautounie turned the "treasure" over. Granted, she certainly had less trouble surrendering a set of beat up keys then Tiff had giving up her chrome seashell, but it didn't make it any less strange.

"My car keys, you see." Vol'drocken explained, "I've been looking all over for these."

"Ummm... usually you loose something like that in your couch cushions not in desert junk heaps." Geoffrey pointed out.

Vol'drocken just nodded at Geoffrey's comment, then thanked Kautounie again for turning over his missing car keys. His emerald eyes landed on each team member in turn, almost like he was reading them. The red knight sighed, his eyes dulling for a moment.

"I'm afraid that your journey can only get longer and harder from here, my good friends." Vol'drocken said, "Nightmare's forces have grown powerful, far more powerful then the last time you faced him. You will need all your courage for what is to come next." he finished before turning around.

"Poyo-wait!" Kirby called out, chasing after Vol'drocken before Meta Knight had a chance to grab him and hold him in place.

Vol'drocken stopped, but didn't turn around.

"What do you mean?" Tiff asked.

Meta Knight didn't say anything, but there was no mistaking the fact that he was worried. He didn't like thinking about it, but while they wandered about Horva, Nightmare was still back in Dreamland, fortifying his position and creating his legions of monsters. That wraith mage could work fast, especially with Riley's help. It was quite possible he had enough troops for a full scale assault of the planet already.

Kirby gently prodded the elder red puffball once he caught up, letting out a curious "poyo?"

Vol'drocken only sighed, quietly mentioning to the smaller star warrior, "You especially, little one. Be brave. For your friends... and for your father."

Vol'drocken turned around, facing the curious and confused group of warriors and wizards before him, "An eye for an eye." he said simply before moving on.

Kirby and Tiff were about to say something more, then right before their eyes, Vol'drocken inexplicably vanished without a trace. Just like on the coastline, there wasn't even any sign of his footprints in the desert sand.

"Geez... I hate it when he does that!" Knuckle Joe shuddered.

"What does he mean? An eye for an eye?" Tiff asked, looking to Meta Knight and Geoffrey for clarification.

"We took back the Halberd and destroyed one of Nightmare's bases." Meta Knight suggested, "He has probably planned a retaliation already, which is why we must get the Halberd back in fighting condition!"

"Come on, there's still twenty guns along the portside that need repairing, care to join me?" Geoffrey asked, glancing down to Knuckle Joe.

The two boys called Kirby over to come with them before going back on board. However, as Meta Knight joined them, the star warrior couldn't help but notice how unsettled Neo looked, and even Kautounie's body language told him that she was agitated. With a shrug, the elder warrior vanished inside his ship, leaving the girls outside to practice their sorcery while Tuff watched. Besides, he didn't want to leave Kirby unattended on his ship. Though at first, Kirby seemed a little confused. Was Vol'drocken giving him a warning when he told him to be brave or was he just speaking in general? But the little guy perked up when he felt his mentor's cape drape over his shoulder as the two star warriors followed the others on board.

Kautounie and Neo stared to where Kirby and the others had been for a few minutes. None of them had any idea about the little message the elder zwetoock sent to Nightmare. Could that be what Vol'drocken was talking about? Lets face it, he seemed to know about everything else!

"Kautounie?" Neo asked, nervously.

"What's wrong?" Tiff added.

"Nothing." Kautounie answered, "Come on, you wanna learn how to blow shit up properly?" she snorted, smiling down at Tiff while lighting her hand ablaze.

Okay, maybe not the way Tiff would have put it, but Fireball would be a very useful spell to have in her arsenal. But first, some techniques on control.

*The Next Day*

So far, with the exception of their surprise guest last morning, the Halberd's repairs had all been completed on schedule. Every gun was ready, the shield generator was fixed, all controls were functioning normally, and most important of all, Kirby had not been able to get himself into trouble with Meta Knight and Knuckle Joe taking turns keeping him busy. Though when not training or playing, Kirby would observe the repairs with his adopted father. 'One day, you may fly this warship,' Meta Knight told him, 'Just don't crash it!' Kirby had only sighed and rolled his eyes. He might as well accept it; Meta Knight was never letting that one go!

The sun was just beginning to set over the abandoned desert town, perfect time for a cruse aboard the Halberd. At Meta Knight's command, his two knaves activated the Halberd's engines and the battleship roared to life, taking off into the air. All their hard work had paid off! Things were starting to look up for them. Kirby and the team met up on the bridge, taking a long good look at the ruined town below.

"All systems functioning normally, captain!" Sword Knight reported.

"We're good to go, Skipper!" Geoffrey added, giving a thumbs up.

Meta Knight stood closest to the window, an arm and part of his cape around Kirby's shoulder. He took a quick look over his shoulder and couldn't help but notice how Geoffrey was longingly looking to the Halberd's gun controls... Main Cannon #2, to be exact. Kautounie and Neo did a bit of silent begging themselves, and with a sigh, Meta Knight beckoned Geoffrey over. The elder warrior was planning on leveling this place anyway, so it could not be recycled by Nightmare's forces. Though to be fair, Tiff's and the Redsun's fireball practice from last afternoon had already made a good start.

"This is gonna be sweet!" Kautounie giggled, anxiously awaiting.

"I guess I could stick around for this." Knuckle Joe muttered, stroking Razorbeak's beak.

"Ummm, what's left to destroy?" Tiff asked, feeling a tad guilty as she looked at her hands.

(Hey, when you've got a gift for something, you've got the gift!)

"Fire!" Meta Knight ordered.

Without missing a beat, the rogue took aim and fired, sending a huge beam of orange and blue plasma down to the burning town below, obliterating any trace that it was ever there. Instead, a massive crater was left it it's place.

Meta Knight's golden eyes visibly widened, then he glanced to Geoffrey.

"I did a little bit more then you asked, worked out a few kinks." Geoffrey explained, grinning, "Ain't she just the prettiest thing? With the acceptation of the ladies, of course."

"Poyo..." Kirby muttered, nodding.

"Hmmm... where were you five years ago?" Meta Knight muttered to himself.

The rogue didn't say anything more; he simply leaned back in his chair, soaking up the praise from his fellow teammates.

"Nightmare wont be salvaging this base of operations." Meta Knight growled.

"There's nothin' left to salvage!" King Dedede pointed out.

"I think that's sort of the point." Tiff sighed.

With Harmony obliterated, Sword and Blade turned the ship around, setting their course for the Free City. Already the smoldering remains of Harmony were shrinking into the distance and the sands of Serpent's Eye below was rushing by at great speeds. Finally, Knuckle Joe turned around, taking Razorbeak with him, and the monster hunter and gryphon headed for the deck.

"Poyo, Joe?" Kirby asked.

"Wait up, Joe!" Tiff called.

"We've ot' it rom' ere', sir!" Blade Knight said, glancing towards his captain.

While Sword and Blade took the helm, Kirby, Meta Knight, Tiff, the Redsuns, and even King Dedede went out on deck to see Knuckle Joe and Razorbeak off. All things considered, it was a nice evening. The wind, although dry, was cooling down and the setting of the sun painted the desert sands dark orange. Naturally, it was saddening to see their friend leave, but you can't keep a lone wolf on a leash forever.

"Couldn't get enough of me, hmm?" Knuckle Joe asked without even looking over his shoulder.

"Hahaha, very funny! I'm not sure what customs you have where your from, but here, it's not unusual for friends to see each other off." Neo answered.

With a smirk, Knuckle Joe turned around. He would sure miss those sassy furballs.

"We'll miss you, Knuckle Joe," Tiff said, "Just... just don't take too long! I don't like long good-byes!"

Typical of Tiff, the stubborn girl.

"Hmph, some more then others, girlie." King Dedede snorted, crossing his arms in a huff.

"Still sore, Tubby?" Knuckle Joe snickered, just to prod the king further.

According the the self proclaimed king, the sooner that one was gone, the better!

"Well aside from being possessed and being beaten up by my best friends and sisters, I'd say we had a good run together." Geoffrey mentioned, "I'm glad to have fought by your side, Joe."

"I never thought I'd find myself fighting beside a thief and being happy I did." Knuckle Joe commented, "Perhaps after I bag a few more big ones, I'll join back up with Garna and together we'll make Hell for Nightmare Enterprises."

Next, Meta Knight and Kirby approached. Although Meta Knight remained neutral and respectful of Knuckle Joe's decision to depart, it still saddened Kirby. The pink puffball gazed up to his friend with liquid, heart-melting dark blue eyes.

"Don't you worry about me, Kirby!" Knuckle Joe sighed, "Keep fighting the good fight!"

The elf-like fighter offered a gloved hand for a handshake, only to be nearly taken off his feet when Kirby jumped up and hugged him. Knuckle Joe's eyes visibly widened as he scanned the crowd for help. All he got was a few shrugs and a pink gaze from Meta Knight. The elder warrior didn't say anything, but his eyes alone told Joe _'you'll get used to it.'_ With a slight chuckle, Joe returned his friend's affection, "I'll miss ya, pal!"

"I know this for a fact, my friend, your father would be proud of you!" Meta Knight said, his eyes shifting to blue.

Knuckle Joe nodded, then after Kirby let go, he jumped up on Razorbeak's back, taking a handful of the beast's silky mane. The gryphon screeched and spread his wings, anxious to leap into the sky.

"You know, Knuckle Joe, I've heard that a Star Warrior can fly anything." Kautounie mentioned.

"We'll see if they had gryphons in mind when that saying was started!" Knuckle Joe jokingly commented, patting his mount's neck.

While a loud chorus of 'good-byes' and 'see ya's' echoed along the Halberd's deck, Razorbeak sprang forward, diving off the edge of the ship. His loud, song-like call could be heard over the roar of the Halberd's engines. Knuckle Joe and Razorbeak circled around the ship once, waving one final good bye to his companions before soaring off into the darkening sky, disappearing into the distance.

"Poyo... Poyo, Knuckle Joe!" Kirby cried out, gazing to where his friend had flown off.

"Come, young one... lets go inside." Meta Knight suggested, before taking one last look to where Joe had been.

That boy was so much like his father. Having seen their friend off, the others followed Meta Knight and Kirby back inside. Already, the desert sands were beginning to fade away, replaced with small patches of grass that were becoming fuller the closer they flew to Thea'or. If only they had this ship a long time ago, travel would have been so much easier.

Everyone met back up on the bridge, taking some time to relax and watch the scenery go past until nighttime had completely engulfed the land. Yes, it had been a shame to see Knuckle Joe leave, but at the rate they were going, they'd be sitting in the lap of luxury, drinking, gambling, and having a good time before it was even midnight. After all, Garna was expecting them to come to the club, though the only worry any of them had right now was where to park the Halberd. Little did Kirby and his team suspect what was about to come next.

"Alright, what do you say, have a fun night out at the boss lady's club then we can all crash at my place, how does that sound?" Geoffrey asked, leaning back in his chair.

The rogue was about ready to put his feet up on the console, but decided otherwise when Meta Knight gave him a stern glare.

Kirby and Tiff looked quite excited, remembering how much fun they had the last time, and who knows what surprises Garna had in mind for them.

Despite remembering how rude Garna was to him whenever she would check in with Sword and Blade during their escapade in space, King Dedede looked ready to forgive the little thief mistress once he heard about the great food that was served in the Knight Club.

"She always insulted me every chance she got, but then again, so does Escargoon!" King Dedede snorted.

"Yeah, just don't go after her with your hammer." Neo muttered, nervously.

A fight between those two would not end well, that's for sure. And the last thing any of them needed was a dead foreign king!

"I can't believe I'm the one saying this, but there's no need to fight tonight." Kautounie stated.

"You're right, I can't believe those words came from your mouth." Meta Knight muttered.

"Poyo." Kirby agreed.

"Well then, let's give the boss lady a buzz and let her know her honored guests are on their way!" Geoffrey suggested.

With a nod, Meta Knight tapped a few keys and buttons on a nearby console, bringing up a communications screen over the window. Very quickly, everyone noticed that something was wrong. Geoffrey especially knew that Garna was not one to ignore a hailing from her favorite Star Warriors. Finally, the static on the screen settled, if only for a short while. It was Garna's office, but it was in disarray, like a fight had taken place recently. As soon as everyone on the bridge caught sight of the corpses and shattered shrapnel that was a door at one time on the floor, they knew for sure there had been a fight!

"Garna?" Neo and Kautounie both said in unison.

Over the noise of the bad transmission, muffled explosions could be heard along with screaming. A much clearer yelp could be heard as a gray blur leaped across the screen, attacking the unseen adversary on the other side. After more static and what was unmistakably a blood spatter splashed onto the screen along with a snarl, Garna had come into view, fresh blood coating her crowbar and the Venomancer dagger she held in her hands. She was wearing a black leather duster, similar to Geoffrey's, though her's was trimmed with thick, black fur along the neck and shoulders. It was covered in blood. Her long black hair was an absolute mess, and there was no mistaking the look of pure insanity and anger on her face.

"Garna, they're not just swarming the guild, but the entire city of Thea'or!" Roaren called, "They've already slaughtered Blackpool and his crew. Half the city's been leveled and more Destroyers are on the way!"

"Meta Knight, Geoffrey... we've been compromised!" Garna shouted, whipping her head around to look at them, if only for a second before the image cut out completely.

 **Author's Notes::** First of all, Felldersai Taa. I had a lot of fun with this place, though it certainly would not be fun to visit. Ghosts, and spirits, and phantoms, including those of our old friend, Alpha Balor, and the deadly assassin, Gerard Collins, father of Geoffrey Collins.

Nightmare is furious. He was planning to stir up the wars again anyway, now he just has an extra reason. Meanwhile, an old pal drops by while Kirby and Meta Knight train, Vol'drocken. You know, it really takes special talent to loose your car keys all the way out in the desert. Just who is this guy, really?

Knuckle Joe also says his farewell to the team before flying off into the sunset on the back of a gryphon. Meanwhile the rest of the team can't wait to get back to Thea'or... until... well, if you bothered to read the story you'd know exactly what!

One thing that is for sure... Nightmare's pissed!

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	33. From Dawn until Dusk Part 1

In You're Nightmares, From Dawn until... Dusk Part 1

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, Destruction of Property, and... wait for it... Genuine Horvian Dragons. (Yes, I've talked about them, and now they're here!)

*On the way to Thea'or*

Geoffrey and his sisters were frozen in shock for a minute. Had Nightmare really become so bold as to launch a full scale assault on their home planet? Apparently! Once the initial shock wore off, Meta Knight and the rest of his crew leaped into action.

"Poyo, Garna!" Kirby cried out.

"No! That son of a bitch is not taking the boss lady down!" Geoffrey snarled.

"Sword, Blade-!" Meta Knight began, turning to his knaves.

Seemingly able to predict their master's orders, Sword and Blade were both bringing up their coordinates and estimated arrival time on screen. It wasn't fast enough for Meta Knight, as the old warrior took the helm without a word. Through the snow and hail that had begun to fall from the sky and whipped past the windows the closer they got the the Free City, faint red and orange light could be seen in the distance, getting closer and closer.

Estimated time of arrival from their current position, five minutes. Five minutes too long as far as the Redsuns and Meta Knight were concerned.

Meta Knight tapped a few more keys before sending a message over the intercom. In the lower levels of the Halberd, an alarm sounding could be heard, alerting the passengers of the danger and to be on guard, "Attention! We're entering hostile territory!" was all Meta Knight growled.

Short, and it got the point across. That was good enough for him.

Tiff couldn't believe this. It was like history was repeating itself, just at a more rapid rate. Nightmare was certainly not fooling around anymore. Even King Dedede, the self-centered lout he could be, looked grieved by this turn of events, despite the fact that he hadn't even heard of Thea'or, let alone been there.

"All of you, prepare for battle!" Meta Knight ordered.

"You don't need to tell me twice!" Kautounie snarled.

"Poyo, Medi Kni! Prepared for battle!" Kirby affirmed, swallowing the Winterclaw and becoming Sword Kirby, also turning his armor green and gold once the transformation was finished.

The young star warrior took his place by his teacher's side, as close to the thick, heavy glass of the windows as he could safely be. While everyone took their positions, Blade brought up their radar onto one side of the screen. Several small red forms, symbolizing Nightmare's demon beast hordes, were swarming through the city, and three large red disk-like shapes showed up, "Captain, sir! Three Destroyers 'losing in on the 'ity, and fast!" Blade announced.

Suddenly, without any warning, one of the small disk-shapes flickered, then disappeared from their radar, followed by a large chunk of the red swarm. For a second, the two knaves and King Dedede thought it might have been damaged, but it was pointed out by Geoffrey and Meta Knight both that it was working just fine. There was something else out there making an attack of it's own. At the same time, Tiff, Neo, and Kautounie began to feel something that the others couldn't, something they at first could not explain. It was like a surge of power was flowing throughout their veins; Tiff had never felt anything like it before, but Neo and Kautounie had, though they only felt it once, yet could not recollect where it happened before.

"Caption!" Sword shouted, having nearly fallen from his seat when something large and unexplainable showed up on their radar, if only for a split second, "Did... did you see that?"

"Yes, Sword, I saw it." Meta Knight answered, growing more and more tense with each passing second.

"Medi Kni! Big demon?" Kirby asked, worriedly.

The elder warrior didn't answer right away. He didn't know how to explain what they saw, though he did take notice of the crew's mages and how they were acting. Suddenly, Meta Knight's eyes became very round.

"What is it, Meta Knight?" Geoffrey asked.

"I don't think that was a demon beast." Meta Knight mused, rather slowly.

The Halberd slowed down, if only slightly, once they reached Thea'or... or rather what was left of it. The once great city was in flames, leveled to the ground. Barely visible through the smoke and snow, small forms were moving down below. Survivors from the attack, fleeing for their lives, while what remained of the garrison fought off the remaining demon beasts that still rampaged. Needless to say, Geoffrey and his sisters were mortified. Their home, Geoffrey's home, his possessions, everything... gone. There was nothing left of Thea'or but a smoldering crater.

"Oh shit! Garna and Roaren..." Geoffrey gasped.

"I-I-I saw this happen... in my dream." Neo breathed quietly, nearly on the brink of tears.

Whimpering softly, Kautounie held her sister close, nuzzling her in her best attempt to comfort the distraught zwetoock. Deep down inside, she couldn't help but feel as though this was her doing. Now Kautounie was starting to have serious regrets about her little message to Nightmare.

"Sundar, protect us in battle." she whispered softly.

"I was too late," Meta Knight growled, just as angry with himself as he was at Nightmare for this atrocity.

Kirby and Tiff both gazed out the window sadly. It was impossible to tell just how many lives were lost, even more so to tell if their friend Garna was among them.

Despite the damage that had been dealt to Thea'or, Meta Knight knew he had to shift his focus elsewhere. There would be a time for grieving. Right now, he had to keep his mind in the fight and protect his ship and crew. There had to be more Destroyers out there! Nightmare wouldn't just send three.

While surveying the damage to the city, amongst the piles of what were once buildings was a large, disk-shaped ship, torn apart and set ablaze. There were two more lying in disarray outside the city limits in the snowy fields below. One, was a smoldered and melted wreck, nearly beyond recognition, the other had many long gashes along one side, and the fire burning inside the ruined spacecraft was quickly spreading, causing an explosion. Now Neo and Kautounie were both wide-eyed. This was not done by another spacecraft or warship. No. This was done by a living creature, and there was only one creature they knew of that could do this much damage in such a short amount of time.

"Say Meta Knight, if you didn't knock off them Destroyers, then who did?" King Dedede asked, nervously.

"What could tear and burn through solid steel like that?" Tiff added on, earning an agreeing nod from Kirby, "And so quickly too?"

Before Kautounie could answer, more Destroyers showed up on their radar, and they were closing in fast!

"Sir, four more Destroyers are headed our way!" Sword Knight called.

"Prepare Main Cannon #2!" Meta Knight ordered.

The elder warrior was doing his best to keep his temper in check, but deep down inside, he was fuming. One too many times had he seen Nightmare's armies level entire cities and slaughter innocent people on a whim. However, as he was about to find out, he and the Halberd would not be alone in this fight.

"Aye, Skipper!" Geoffrey called, determination filling his gaze, "Main Cannon #2 is locked and loaded. Boy I can't wait to shoot these bastards down from the sky!"

While Geoffrey readied the Main Cannon #2, Neo and Kautounie silently prayed, then started prepping spells, just in case the worst should happen. Tiff, being ever so clever, didn't have to ask, she just started following their example. King Dedede, while a bit nervous, put on his best determined game face and tightened his grip on his hammer.

"Poyo!" Sword Kirby chirped.

"Giver of Life to the Sun, Moon, and Stars, light the path to victory by your righteous flame," Kautounie began chanting, performing ritualistic hand gestures, "Let no fell beast survive the dragon's wrath, and by my blood and steel I swear to defend those unable to defend themselves." Geoffrey added, chanting along with Kautounie, "Sundar, Father of Dragons, God of Nature and War, defend us in battle and guide us to the end of this war victorious!" Neo, and of all people, Meta Knight, finished.

Once their prayer was done, everyone on the bridge felt renewed vigor and confidence fill them. Their bitter anger and grief was transformed into determination and fearlessness. A good thing too, since the Destroyers had flown within range. Adrenaline pumping through everyone's veins and anticipation heavy in the cold, snowy air for what was to come, Meta Knight steered the Halberd to meet their oncoming attackers.

Uncountable plasma missiles began to pour from the Destroyer ships, every single one of them heading straight for the Halberd. It was easy to see how these things could have demolished the whole city, after all, Nightmare had sent Destroyers to Dreamland to total King Dedede's castle and level Cappy Town to ash. (And a fine job they did, I might add.)

As the missiles struck the Halberd's hull, the warship groaned slightly, though their shields soaked up most of the damage. Finally, Meta Knight had had enough. I was time for the Halberd to light up the night!

"Fire!" he commanded.

Without hesitation, Geoffrey let the Destroyers have a taste of Main Cannon #2, and with a single shot, his target was a smoldering wreck, plummeting towards the ground.

"Oh and the quarterback is toast!" Geoffrey shouted, with quite an evil smile.

"Go on, do it again." Kautounie urged, before Meta Knight could give the next order to fire.

While the Halberd tore two more Destroyers out of the sky in a dazzling spectacle of explosive fire and plasma, Meta Knight and Kirby both took notice of the fourth and final ship. It had stopped firing at them and was instead attacking something else all together. Against the light of the fires below and the plasma filling the skies, they could see a glint of gold, belonging to something quite large, very agile, and exceptionally deadly. A large blast of flames and a roar later, Meta Knight's and the Redsun sisters' earlier suspicion had come to light. Now fully illuminated by the fire of it's own creation, everyone aboard the Halberd's bridge got a very clear look at the magnificent gold dragon that had been flying around the Destroyers. This had to have been what took down those previous ships.

"Ahhh, there's a demon beast out there!" Tiff screamed.

"That's no demon beast, Tiff. T-that's a Dragon!" Neo corrected, a smile forming along her face

Well, that would certainly explain the surge of arcane energy the mages felt earlier.

Before the Halberd could fire upon the last Destroyer ship, the great gold dragon had already sent it spiraling down the the ground below, where it burst into flames upon crashing. Then the beast turned and flew towards the powerful warship. Although King Dedede looked ready to panic, the Redsuns all began to cheer in the zwetoock tongue. Meta Knight was still tense, especially when the entire battleship rocked and swayed, but then he realized that their new best friend had simply landed on the deck to roost. The dragon looked quite beat up and tired, though with a quick gesture, the powerful creature had mended it's injuries and looked good as new.

It was then did the Redsun siblings notice something familiar about this particular Golden Moondancer. The triangular shape of the head, the long, sharp spines along the back, tapering tail, and of course, who could have ever forgotten those piercing sapphire blue eyes?

"That-that's Zodiac!" Kautounie pointed out, quite amazed.

To think, it had only been about a month since they had seen him. Suddenly, the Redsuns felt their hearts sink a little. What would he do when he found out what that Resurrection Scroll had been used for? Then again, odds were good that he already knew. Still, when everything was said and done, in the end, Riley had fooled him too.

"Holy shit, that is Zodiac!" Geoffrey confirmed, "I didn't think we'd be seeing him again anytime soon!"

"Wait, you know this dragon?" Meta Knight questioned.

"Yeah... we won that... that scroll from him... the one Riley stole from us." Neo sighed, nervously, "The Resurrection Scroll, I mean."

That damn scroll! That's how all this mess started in the first place. But dredging up the past wasn't going to win this battle or any battle for that matter.

Suddenly, everyone's thoughts quelled once Zodiac turned his head, looking up to the bridge, as if he knew everyone was in there. A gentle, albeit powerful voice began to fill everyone's heads, _"Sir Meta Knight, Kirby of the Stars, Tiff Ebrum, Dragons of the Redsun Pack, I knew you'd come. Hurry, Nightmare's forces have turned to the Crimson Woods. My brother Thexadrell and sister Dracara are already there,"_ Zodiac warned, _"Be on your guard, Nightmare's poison spreads through one of my kind. He has corrupted a young dragoness named Eclipse, painted her black with his evil sorcery. May Sundar's fire light the path to our victory. Fly bravely, my friends."_

And with those parting words, the mighty dragon leaped from his roost, soaring just above the Halberd and remaining within visual range.

"Poyo... Medi Kni... Tam-Tamoko!" Kirby chirped worriedly.

"Mother and father." Kautounie and Neo both mouthed quietly, "That bastard Nightmare may have claimed Thea'or, but he is not taking the Great Red Forest!" Kautounie finished.

"My thoughts exactly!" Meta Knight growled, looking over his shoulder to Sword and Blade.

"Aye, Captain!" the two knaves said in unison as they reset their course.

With nothing left of Thea'or to save, the Halberd glided through the snowy skies, guided by the gold dragon, Zodiac. At the rate they flew, it wasn't long until the Halberd reached the Crimson Woods. It wasn't difficult to miss, that much was for sure. Flames and huge plumes of billowing smoke lit up the night sky. Demon beasts on the ground and in the air, were fleeing as fast as they could while the Destroyers up above delivered their devastating plasma bolt assaults. Many of the saucer-shaped warships hovered just above the treetops, uncaring of who or what was getting in their way. Already Kautounie and Neo began to tense, witnessing the battles raging below; amongst the demon beasts and monsters, the sisters could make out the banners carried by the Bloodtooth pack. Figures that they would have something to do with this blatantly bold attack.

"Poyo, down there!" Kirby chirped, gazing up to his mentor for guidance.

"Sword, Blade!" Meta Knight began, nodding.

The two knaves nodded back, then began to ready every single gun along the starboard and portside of the battleship for a multi way barrage.

"Sir Meta Knight!" Kautounie and Neo both cried out.

"Wait! Skipper, you could hit the Redsuns down there!" Geoffrey pointed out.

 _"_ _Let me handle that!"_ Zodiac's telepathic voice echoed as he soared downward and out of view with a roar.

Unseen by the Halberd's crew, the powerful dragon caught one of the plasma bolts fired from Meta Knight's warship, then began to mold it into a shield, spreading it over his allies; be it zwetoock, human, Dreamlander, or dragon. Thus, while the Halberd's missiles tore the demon beast hordes below to shreds, any friendlies that would have been caught in the crossfire were unharmed. The plasma bolts fired from the Halberd simply passed harmlessly through them. Underneath his mask, Meta Knight smirked, subtly nodding.

"Sir Meta Knight... how did-?" Tiff stammered, nearly at a complete loss.

Any questions would have to wait. Geoffrey, wasting no time, shot down three more Destroyers, while Zodiac flew off to assist another dragon, this one smaller and built more like a wyvern or bird of prey, emerald green in color. An Emerald Nova. The two of them dispatched a few brown wyverns demon beasts and their Bloodtooth riders with single breaths of fire, and take down yet another Destroyer. The green dragon, which if one had to guess was Dracara, carried a rider on her back, the one and only Redsun Alpha, Rhego.

"Father?" All three Redsuns questioned in unison.

The Halberd was now flying directly over the Crimson Woods, just above the small clearing in the forest where Kabu stood. Amongst the flames that consumed the red trees, a huge shape could be seen, perching atop the ancient totem, spreading out his large, powerful wings. Thexadrell, the mighty Ruby Corona, let out a huge, bellowing roar, causing many more Bloodtooths and monsters to flee from the woods as fast as their wings and feet would carry them. Sitting on Thexadrell's back was none other then the blinded Alphess, Tamoko Redsun herself, wielding her oaken staff. She gave a shout and raised her staff, summoning a powerful pulse of prismatic energy while her dragon let loose a huge streamer of flames at the Destroyer hovering above them. Neither Thexadrell nor Tamoko flinched when the Destroyer unloaded everything it had in a desperate attempt to slay the dragon and rider. Within seconds, the flames from Thexadrell's maw melted it's target into a smoldering heap of slag, right before Tamoko's spell obliterated the ship into nothing. The blind Alphess howled loudly, her song echoed by the other members of the Redsun pack and her mate. With a wave of her staff, Tamoko rallied Zodiac and Dracara to her side while Thexadrell leaped into the air. The mighty dragons soared above the Halberd, dispatching any threats coming in for an attempted sneak attack.

"Mother... never mentioned that she could command dragons." Kautounie gasped in awe, accompanied by an agreeing nod from her sister.

"Wow... I'd like to get me one of those!" King Dedede muttered, eyes wide as he watched.

"Yeah, right." Geoffrey snorted, pausing so he could shoot down the last Destroyer before it could flee, "Good luck with that!"

Once the last of the Destroyers were taken out, something else slid from the shadows. It was near impossible to make out, and it didn't show up to well on the radar screen. There was a brief flash of a large, draconian creature, but it wasn't like when they saw Zodiac. Suddenly, both Meta Knight and Kirby felt a chill run down their backs the closer this thing got to them, as did Tiff and the Redsun sisters.

 _"_ _Eclipse... she's here!"_ Zodiac's voice echoed.

 _"_ _Be careful, she's not alone either,"_ Dracara added on, her own telepathic voice silky and tempered.

 _"_ _A smaller demon of steel named The Tormentor flies with her!"_ Thexadrell grumbled, his voice very loud and commanding, _"Fly bravely, Sir Meta Knight, you of all warriors know what a painted dragon is capable of!"_ he spat telepathically in disgust.

Hmph, Nightmare, the coward. If he couldn't make his own real dragons, he'd take existing ones and bend them to his will, then set them to attack the people they were meant to protect!

Suddenly, the three dragons and their riders broke off their formation from the Halberd, each one taking a swipe with their curved talons at the shadowy fiend that was flying in fast. There was an annoyed growl, then a blast of red flames from the creature's mouth, aimed right at the bridge.

 _"_ _Auractice Shaa!"_ Neo and Kautounie shouted instinctively, summoning their shields of ice and frost outside the Halberd.

Kirby, Tiff, and Dedede were quite startled by the freezing shield that suddenly appeared right before their eyes, but Meta Knight didn't flinch, not even as the heat of the dragon flames melted through the summoned ice. But thankfully, the sisters' sorcery provided enough protection to prevent the dragon fire from destroying the Halberd's own shield.

However, their relief was short lived as the ship jerked to one side, nearly taking most of the crew off their feet, while Geoffrey and Meta's "boys in green armor" had to grab hold of their consoles for stability.

"Captain, the main left wing has been taken critical damage!" Sword Knight called out, "Approximately 74%!"

"We're gonna loose balance!" Geoffrey shouted.

"Lower the sail! Increase right wing power!" Meta Knight ordered, "Geoffrey... shoot that painted dragon down!"

"Oh... we're gonna die!" King Dedede cried out.

"No we're not!" Kautounie snarled, "They are!"

As the Halberd began to regain balance, the "smaller demon", a ship to be more precise, called The Tormentor, that Thexadrell had mentioned earlier showed up on their radar. It was a small ship, designed to be quick and evasive, though all things considered, it was tougher then it looked, plus it could fly circles around the Halberd. How did they know it was not an ally come to help, you may ask? Well, the fact that it was shooting at them was sort of a giveaway.

"Poyo... poyo!" Kirby called out.

How he longed for his Warp Star right about now. It would have been quite useful. And at this moment, things weren't going to well. The small ship that had been flying around had deceivingly powerful weapons for a craft of it's size, and had dealt some decent damage to Zodiac and Dracara, though to be fair, Thexadrell was only annoyed, but Tamoko had taken a light hit herself from the barrage of plasma.

"Mother!" Kautounie and Neo yelled in unison.

Kirby glanced downward to his sword as icicles began to form along the edge of the blade. He had an idea; it was crazy, but he felt that he could stop that possessed dragon. Dragons could not be harmed by fire, but perhaps some ice and frost would cool down her dark flames.

"Come on, sweetheart, I'm ready for ya." Geoffrey muttered, locking onto the beast with the Main Cannon #2 as Eclipse came flying around the bend for another attack.

Seemingly knowing what he was doing, Zodiac, Dracara, and Thexadrell all took a strike at Eclipse in turn, keeping her in place so the Halberd could score a hit on it's target, and it worked too. Eclipse roared in agony as the high powered energy beam struck her in the back, just above her wings, nearly sending her toppling down onto the ship's deck.

"Direct hit!" Meta Knight grunted, nodding.

Suddenly, a live message began to come through to the Halberd's intercom system. At first, Sword and Blade had tried to stop it from coming in, up until Meta Knight ordered them to let it through. His golden eyes narrowed when he heard that familiar, slick and slimy voice, despite having only heard it once.

"Ah, my good Sir Meta Knight!" Dusk purred in his usual charming yet despicable way, (honestly, he could make ordering a pizza sound diabolical and evil), "Enjoying a night out on the town with my friends, are we? Did you like the way I had Thea'or remodeled?"

"I should have known you would have had something to do with this!" Meta Knight growled.

"Hmhmhmmmm, my, my, my, what an R.V. you've got there... I think the face at the front gives it just the right touch. Tell me something, Meta Knight, are you compensating for something? Lack of height, perhaps? And there are those who say that I'm in love with myself."

Meta Knight didn't answer, though something about the dead silence was all Dusk needed to know. He quivered under his battle armor and his eyes flashed red for a brief moment.

"Who's that twerp?" King Dedede demanded.

"Oh I'd know that southern drawl anywhere!" Dusk chuckled, "Given by your limited selection of insults, I would have to say King Dedede. Still alive after all this time? I'm surprised Sir Meta Knight hasn't run you through himself by now! No matter. There's always room for a king on my list!"

King Dedede glowered angrily. Just who did this guy think he was?

"To answer your question, your majesty, that's Dusk!" Kautounie growled, "He's a bounty hunter. Nightmare's put a price on our heads, probably yours too."

While King Dedede launched himself into a tirade, which only made Dusk laugh harder, Tiff couldn't help but notice that something, or rather someone was missing.

"Hey, where's Kirby? I-I don't see him!" Tiff cried out.

In all their frantic confusion, Kirby had managed to slip right off the bridge unnoticed. He couldn't have gotten far. Meta Knight had wanted to go after him, but right now, he had an obligation as captain. He couldn't leave, not during a battle, especially since the black dragon was recovering from the main cannon's blast fairly quickly, along with the fact that Dusk was taking this opportunity to take more cheep shots at them, verbally and psychically.

"Oh? Lost your pet, Meta Knight?" Dusk taunted, "You better hope I don't find him first!" he snickered before cutting off his communications.

Meta Knight snarled angrily, his eyes blazing red for a moment. He had trained Kirby well to be certain, and the child could handle himself in a fight, but his fatherly instincts were rapidly coming to the surface, and right now, he didn't really care who noticed. His son was missing!

"Don't worry, Sir Meta Knight, we'll find Kirby!" Kautounie called, before she and her sister left the bridge.

"Oh... then I'm going with you!" Tiff said, taking out her wand.

"Hey, wait up for me!" King Dedede shouted, hefting his mallet over his shoulder.

If anything, the mages' were surprised albeit pleased that he had decided to come with. Should anything unsavory invite itself on board, it would be good to have someone of his strength on their side, not to mention lack of speed just in case things go really south.

Thankfully, they didn't have too far to look for their wandering little warrior. The small group went down to the main corridor from the bridge, going down a flight of stairs to the doorway leading out to the deck. Over the noise of the battle outside, Kautounie's and Neo's ears picked up on the faint sound of metal on metal, coming from Kirby's small, armored feet as he ran.

"Just what does that there little fluff ball think he's doin'?" King Dedede asked.

"His job!" Kautounie answered.

"A little warning on his part would have been nice." Tiff grumbled.

She knew her little friend could handle himself in a fight, but Tiff constantly found herself worrying for Kirby's safety. Neo glanced to the distraught yet determined girl. Tiff certainly reminded her of someone else she knew.

*Kirby's Mission*

Kirby was running as fast as he could. His Sword ability was still equipped, though before he got outside, the small pink warrior swallowed a mouthful of Winterclaw's frost and icicles. He wasn't entirely sure what he was doing, but every star warrior sense in his body was telling him to do it. It was the strangest feeling. First it felt like his gut was about to freeze, causing Kirby to shiver and close his eyes. But then his pink skin turned light blue, while the small puff on the end of his swordsman hat turned blue as well, as did the gold trimmings of his armor. This was the first time had taken on a hybrid form. Now he was Ice Sword Kirby.

 _"_ _Kirby of the Stars, her natural armor is weakest along her breast and under her wings."_ Zodiac's voice echoed in Kirby's mind.

 _"_ _Be careful, my little friend,"_ Dracara added, _"Nightmare's poison runs deeply throughout Eclipse."_

 _"_ _She's stronger then we previously thought,"_ Thexadrell grunted, _"Her fire burns hot, use your ice well and wisely, young star."_

"Poyo, got it!" Ice Sword Kirby said, right before leaving the safety of the ship and heading out on deck.

It was much more intense out here, though with his ice ability, the snow and hail coming down from the sky didn't hinder him at all. Winterclaw had also begun to throb in his hand as more sharp icicles formed along the blade's edge. Out here, the damage dealt to the Halberd could be clearly seen. The left wing was smoking, and several guns had been torn off the ship, with long claw marks where they had once been. Even the main cannon # 2 had sustained some damage, but not enough to stop it from working, as the little warrior observed. Another well aimed shot from Geoffrey caught both Eclipse and the Tormentor in it's path, sending Dusk's warship down onto the other end of the deck in a mangled wreck while the powerful possessed dragon bellowed in pain. However, the small victory was short lived, as Eclipse threw her battered head back and unleashed a massive stream of dark red flames, not for the bridge, but rather the Main Cannon # 2, sending Kirby diving for cover.

"Poyo!" Kirby cried out, taking cover behind some wreckage already littering the deck

The dragon flames were subsided, if only slightly, when Tamoko cast an ice shield of her own to protect Kirby. It was a lot like what Neo and Kautounie used, but on a much larger scale. Sadly however, the damage had already been done. Main Cannon # 2 was now a smoldering mess, and Kirby had to move quickly before it fell right on top of him, crushing a large part of the deck as it did.

"Daddy?" Kirby chirped, glancing up to the bridge for just a split second.

Thexadrell used a lash of his powerful tail to grab Eclipse's attention away from the Halberd and towards him while Tamoko lobbed a high powered lightning bolt from the end of her staff. Zodiac joined in, running his curved talons down the length of the black dragon's face. Enraged, Eclipse latched onto the gold dragon first, crushing his scales with her own sharp teeth and raking his underside with her hind claws, coating them in thick, viscus blood. Using her spiked tail next, she tore a good chunk of leathery hide out of Zodiac's wing, before ripping into the joint with her talons. Unable to fly, Zodiac tumbled out of the sky, slamming into the Halberd before falling down into the trees below with a roar.

Next, Eclipse twisted around, swatting Dracara away with a lash of her tail and using the claws on her wings to attack Thexadrell. Dracara roared, sending a stream of flames for the larger dragon, only to have them wash harmlessly over Eclipse's scales. Still riding on Dracara's back, Rhego howled loudly as his mount made a sharp turn, then twisted upside down in the air. With one hand holding onto his dragon, and the other holding his machete, Rhego took a daring swing from Dracara's back, catching Eclipse off guard. In a graceful move, the Emerald Nova righted herself, taking off into the snowy skies again.

While Dracara readied herself for another attack, Thexadrell moved in, taking a swipe with his massive paw. Eclipse dodged, leaving the Ruby Corona nothing to catch but snow and air. An evil grin forming on her face, Eclipse stabbed Thexadrell under his wing with the spike at the end of her tail. The red dragon roared with pain and was having a harder time keeping in the air. When that wasn't enough, Eclipse convulsed, then sent out a horrible pulse of shadow and darkness. Before Tamoko could cast another one of her protective spells, the aura engulfed Thexadrell and Dracara, along with their riders, and even succeeded in catching Kirby in the blast, sending him tumbling backwards. Soon enough, Eclipse wasn't interested in the other dragons anymore, she just wanted them out of her way. A new target had reveled itself to her. After all, any demon beast could sniff out a Star Warrior in a crowd.

"Poyo... make... daddy proud, make... Tiff proud." Kirby said to himself as he painfully forced himself back to his feet.

The temperature around him dropped as the Winterclaw glowed bright, icy blue in his hands. Ice Sword Kirby looked up to the mighty black dragon that loomed over him. Her mouth began to glow bright red as she prepare to breath fire again. Now Kirby saw his opening as the black dragoness flared her wings and exposed her chest. The little warrior could faintly hear voices on deck, screaming his name, but he didn't listen, not right now. His friends, his companions, his family was at stake. It was now or never, and Kirby made his move.

"Poyo! Ice Sword Beam!"

Just as Eclipse's flames burst from her maw, Kirby unleashed his icy sword beam, combining the crescent shaped blade of light and energy with a chilling blast of frost and snow. The sword beam passed through the red fire and sliced right through the dragon's chest, where Zodiac had instructed him to strike. Eclipse howled in agony, madly flapping her wings just to stay in the air, but to no avail. Next, Kirby breathed his own breath weapon, a cone of frost and ice, aiming for the dragoness' wings first, then her open mouth. With everything Eclipse had endured, it was too much for the black dragoness. She couldn't take any more and groaned in defeat, her monstrous roars becoming more like waking moans. Kirby could not be certain, but he could have sworn that her dark scales began to shift into gold as she tumbled out of the air. He watched as in the distance, the remainder of the other surrounding demon beasts fled, fended off by blasts of flame coming from Thexadrell and Dracara. Thankfully, despite their injuries, they still soared. But what happened to Zodiac? Suddenly, his own thoughts were consumed by the frantic calling of his name.

"Poyo? Poyo!" Kirby cried out, making his way around the wreckage on the Halberd's deck and diving right into Tiff's waiting arms.

The young girl squeezed him tightly in her loving embrace, letting go only when she finally realized just how cold Kirby was with his Ice ability equipped. Smiling sheepishly, the little puffball dropped his Ice Sword ability, once again becoming the loveable pink baby warrior, though he was quite dirty and a little singed.

"Kirby, that was some good fightin' just now but also crazy!" King Dedede commented, "That darn thing could have cooked ya with a single breath, and that's sayin' somethin'!"

"Don't scare me like that again, Kirby!" Tiff scolded, "Even Meta Knight's worried sick about you."

Kirby lowered his eyes. Yes, he knew what he did was reckless, but at the same time, he saved the ship and crew. Well, most of the ship, anyway.

"It's a good thing he went out when he did!" Neo pointed out, "Had it not been for him, we'd still have that pained dragon tearing the Halberd apart."

The young zwetoock was still trying to put more of her words together. It was quite an impressive feat, that a mere child had taken on a painted dragon and lived to tell about it. More then that, he had the honor of fighting beside not one, not two, but three of Horva's great dragons!

"Neo's right Tiff," Kautounie said, kneeling down beside the two Star Warriors, "Kirby, you were amazing! You fought very bravely, like a dragon yourself. By the way, cool ability you had just a while ago. No pun intended." she chuckled, rolling her eyes and earning a delighted smile from the pink child.

"Poyo, Geoff and dragons... and... Medi Kni... Kirby couldn't do it without them too." Kirby admitted.

Ah, a humble little knight. Those were few and far between. Indeed, Kirby couldn't take all the credit, something he knew all too well.

Tiff sighed heavily, still carrying Kirby in her arms, looking down at the baby warrior as he nestled against her. Maybe she shouldn't have been so quick to judge. Kirby may have been young, but he had also proven himself as a capable warrior time and time again. It was his job to fight off these terrible fiends, though Tiff couldn't help but worry about his safety. It was just a hazard of being the little guy's big sister.

"Kirby... thanks." Tiff said, squeezing the little guy lovingly one more time before setting him down.

Before going back inside, Kautounie took one look over her shoulder at the wreak on the main deck, smirking. Sure they may have lost the main cannon # 2, but at least they took that bastard Dusk's ship down too, making a rather nice smoking hood ornament for the Halberd. With any luck, they got him too. However, as she and the others went back inside, none of them noticed the glowing pair of dark orange eyes, watching from the shadows.

*Back on the Bridge*

Meanwhile, with the painted dragoness defeated and the rest of the demon beast horde on the run, Meta Knight breathed a sigh of relief, even more so when Tiff called up to them over the intercom to let him know that everyone was okay.

"Sir Meta Knight, you should have seen Kirby, he was amazing!" Tiff shouted, excitedly.

"That's sort of a change from her earlier perspective!" Neo added on, only to be shushed by the girl, right before their communications hung up.

Meta Knight chuckled softly. Oh did he see Kirby alright. Of course his son was okay, more then okay, actually. That combination of his ice ability and his sword beam was incredible! Though it wouldn't make up for his lack of a main weapon aboard his battleship. Improvements would have to be made, it seemed.

"Sorry about that, Skipper." Geoffrey sighed, "Back to the old drawing board, it seems."

Meta Knight remained quiet, though his posture was enough to tell the remaining crew on the bridge that he was more then just a bit ticked. Wisely, Sword and Blade changed the subject.

"We ot' it orm' 'ere, Capt'in!" Blade said.

"Just find us a good place to land and commence repairs." Meta Knight ordered, "Again." he added with a sigh.

"Will do, Skipper! Go on and check on your s-er-apprentice." Geoffrey suggested, nearly letting the three letter "S" word slip right out of his mouth.

Again, Meta Knight said nothing, though as he wrapped his cape around his body, he threw the rouge a look right before he left. Geoffrey, wide-eyed, breathed a sigh of relief. That was a close one!

As soon as Meta Knight left the bridge, Sword and Blade turned to Geoffrey.

"Oh come on, guys!" Geoffrey scoffed, "Isn't it obvious?!"

::TO BE CONTINUED::

 **Author's Notes::** Shortly after loosing communications with Garna and Roaren, Kirby and co. fly to the Free City as fast as the Halberd can carry them... only to find that there's no free city left. (Hey, if you didn't want to know that, then quit jumping ahead to my descriptions here!)  
Destroyers, Demon Beasts, and a Painted Dragon. Nightmare has become truly furious. The Great Wars have begun anew. But what's this? The Halberd is not alone in her flight. Horva's dragons have been awoken... and they are ready for war.

I'll admit... I LOVE bringing Dusk back. And Geoffrey... oh that gun happy human...

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	34. From Dawn until Dusk Part 2

In You're Nightmares, From Dawn until... Dusk Part 2

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, Destruction of Property, and Many Slick, Daring, yet Cowardly Actions by a Certain Gray Puffball.

*From where we left off, Halberd Corridors, Kirby and Company*

"Sir Meta Knight?" Neo asked, pressing the button on the wall after suddenly being cut off.

For a second, she thought she had broken the intercom, given her limited knowledge of technology, but Tiff and King Dedede confirmed that it wasn't damaged.

"Poyo...wanted to tell Medi Kni and Geoff..." Kirby sighed sadly as Tiff patted his head apologetically.

Perhaps something was simply shaken up in the intercom's controls during the battle. Even with the Halberd's high tech shield, those Destroyer blasts still shook up the ship pretty good. And then of course there was the painted dragon, who just ignored the shields as though they were never even there in the first place. However, something began to make Kautounie and Neo feel uncomfortable, though it could have been the change in pressure as the Halberd began to make it's decent to land.

Kirby, Dedede and the girls were about to start the short trek back up to the bridge when something grabbed their attention. First, it started as faint whispers, speaking in the zwetoock tongue. King Dedede tightened his grip on his mallet, whipping his head around for any sign of what was sending those threatening messages while Kirby readied the Winterclaw. However, while Kautounie was reaching for Matilda and Neo, Heartseeker, the group was greeted by more then just a whisper.

"What's-?" Tiff started, right before her question was about to be answered in front of her eyes.

Taking form from conjured shadow and darkness, several Bloodtooth Zwetoock pairs, females and their mates, materialized in the corridor, surrounding Kirby and his companions. Some of them sported fresh wounds, having already been in battle.

If anyone was counting, there were about fourteen of these creatures, seven males, seven females. The males carried daggers made of sharp stone or bone while most of the females carried staffs, though one of them was armed with a long bow, an arrow already threaded. Some of the male warriors were wearing bits and pieces of armor, that were ill fitting at best.

"Bloodtooths!" Kautounie snarled, baring her teeth in a threatening display.

Kirby, Tiff, and the Redsun sisters tensed up, though for a brief moment, King Dedede was wide-eyed. The only zwetoocks he had been acquainted with were Neo and Kautounie, and they were positively friendly compared to these ravenous dogs that surrounded the team. But soon enough, the self proclaimed king prepared himself for a fight, glaring right back at the mangy, bipedal wolf-like beings.

"I'm not afraid of you, demons!" Kautounie snarled, "If it's a fight you want, I'll give it to you!"

The Bloodtooth facing Kautounie just smiled, then gestured to the other end of the hall. Everyone in the group glowered at the familiar form of the greedy bounty hunter heading their way.

"Bravo, I say bravo, well played," Dusk announced, proudly striding down the corridor of the Halberd, Miachang and Zorra at his side, "Into my trap, I mean. Though I'll admit, those damn dragons were an unexpected game changer."

At first, Kirby and his team said nothing, though the little pink warrior frowned when he looked up to Miachang and her mate, having noticed their particular taste in jewelry. He may have been young and have much to learn yet, but he knew a star warrior's mask when he saw one. Kautounie and Neo on the other hand knew exactly who these two zwetoocks were. After all, since Ashiega Bloodtooth wouldn't leave her territory, she usually sent in her second daughter, Miachang Bloodtooth, and her mate, Zorra, to lead a raiding pack. The rival zwetoock royalty stared each other down, right up until King Dedede's big mouth broke up the staring contest before it turned violent.

"Who are you? Wait a second, you is that guy we was talkin' too earlier, Dust!" King Dedede snorted.

The gray batamon rolled his eyes in annoyance. Honestly, was King Dedede for real, or did he just play at being a king in real life?

"Dusk, you redneck cretin! Honestly, how did you ever become king in the first place?" Dusk grumbled, "But it would seem that you're not quite as stupid as one might think. Hmph, even without a kingdom, a king is always worth something to someone, especially a king with many unpaid bills to my current employer! Oh yes, he keeps very good records, your majesty!" he added, drawing his magnum revolver.

King Dedede took a nervous step back. He had no intention of paying Nightmare back of his own free will. Besides, the wraith lord had taken his entire castle. He had all his money. What more could Nightmare want? But there was something about the glint in Dusk's eye as he smiled.

"Oh damn... he wants interest don't he?" King Dedede whined, "And he's gonna take it out on my hide!"

Dusk thought for a moment, "Well, it's not a bad idea. I'm not even sure if His Grace thought of it that way." he chuckled, leaving Dedede to wonder why he just had to open up his trap.

Growling irritable, Tiff stepped forward, pointing her wand at Dusk. The Bloodtooths snapped their jaws, readying their own weapons, though they quieted at a simple wave of Dusk's hand. He was enjoying every minute of this. Just what did Tiff have to say that was worth risking her life?

"What do you want, Dusk?" Tiff demanded, "As if I don't know already!" she added, putting herself in front of Kirby.

"Oh, clever girl." Dusk muttered with a smirk, "But yes, I'd very much like Kirby. By the way, where's Geoffrey? Or Sir Meta Knight? That old star warrior is worth half a million gold dragons alone, you know."

"He's probably on his way here to kick your sorry ass." Neo scoffed, spitting on the ground in Dusk's direction.

"Oh my, what princess like behavior." Dusk sighed sarcastically, earning some agreeing snaps and snarls from his own pack of zwetoocks.

"F**k you, Dusk!" Kautounie growled, baring her teeth.

"Now that was very unladylike." Dusk moaned, sounding somewhat ill.

Kautounie, growing bored of the banter, reached for Matilda again, only to have Dusk aim his revolver not at her, but at Neo. Boy did that bounty hunter know how to push anyone's buttons, ally or foe. Snarling, Kautounie lowered her hand. She was willing to risk her own life, but not that of her sister's.

"There's a good girl. Now, I'd ask you all to drop your weapons, surrender, and come quietly, but I already know you and know that's not going to happen." Dusk sighed, "So lets just get to the part where I'm dragging you all off to collect my pay."

"Or to the part where I splatter you all over that wall!" Kautounie roared, pointing at the wall she had decided Dusk's guts would make a good decoration.

Now Dusk just started laughing, giving his zwetoocks orders through use of hand gestures. Clearly he was having far to much fun with this situation. Even more so when he witnessed Kautounie's reaction to what he said next.

"What was it that someone aboard this ship... at least I think it's this ship... told His Grace in a nice little letter attached to a bloody defaced crate containing the heads of three Nightmare Occultists?" Dusk asked in mock confusion, "Oh yes, I believe it went something like 'this game is in check, next time, send your best!' Guess what? He did!"

Before any inquires could be made about what Dusk was talking about, the fight was on. At the bounty hunter's command, every zwetoock attacked, lunging for the nearest target. As fast as Kautounie could, she grabbed her shotgun off her back and fired, effectively rearranging one unlucky Bloodtooth's guts on the wall behind her, while also nailing Dusk was some of the shot from the scattered blast.

"Shit!" Dusk growled, firing a bullet of his own, satisfied by the pained scream Kautounie let out as his bullet tore through the young Redsun's leg, causing her to collapse to the ground.

"Kautounie!" Neo shouted, attempting to cast her soothing curing spell on her sister.

Before the spell could be completed, one of the other zwetoocks disrupted her, pulling her aside with him, infuriating Kautounie even more.

Meanwhile, King Dedede let out a mighty shout, pounding the male zwetoock that charged him all the way down the corridor with a single swing of his hammer. There was a sharp cry and the sound of bones breaking as the Bloodtooth skidded to a halt, unmoving. Then King Dedede let out a yelp of his own when a jolt of lightning and an arrow to the arm nearly sent him reeling, then he saw the culprit. The female Bloodtooth with the bow and arrows, the mate of the male he had just decked, hissed angrily at the Dreamlander King while she reloaded for another attack.

"I'm getting' damn sick of bein' stuck with these things!" King Dedede grumbled.

With an annoyed grunt, King Dedede charged, his hammer poised to swing. A single swing sent his attacker to join her mate.

"Hmph, I'm king here and don't you forget it!" King Dedede grunted, right before catching a full set of five Magic Missiles.

The angry king turned around, only to see that his next attacker with entangled in Tiff's acid whip, and taking four magic missiles from her as well, while Kirby dealt with the Bloodtooth mage's mate.

"Poyo!" Kirby shouted, quite fiercely as he drove Winterclaw into his opponent.

The zwetoock male spat up some blood before his eyes rolled back. Kirby didn't have long to contemplate the vile fiend's death, as he was grabbed from behind by another Bloodtooth. He let out a startled squeak as sharp claws dug into his flesh where it was not protected by his armor.

"Poyo!" Kirby cried out, taking a blind stab at the mangy creature.

He couldn't see where he was striking, but he was rewarded with a pained yip, as Kirby was immediately released. Small droplets of blood were flung onto him when the Bloodtooth let go of his injury and reached out with his paw to grab Kirby yet again.

With a mighty battle cry, Kirby swung his sword, sending the unlucky Bloodtooth zwetoock's hand to the other side of the corridor. The mutilated zwetoock howled in agony, holding onto his stump of a wrist with his remaining hand. Blood poured from the wound, coating the floor beneath him red. In blind outrage, he lunged for Kirby one last time, catching the little warrior's sword beam right at the neck.

"Kirby!" Tiff screamed, dragging her tangled opponent to the ground, right before the same Bloodtooth that had Neo in his grasp leaped for her as well.

Neo gritted her teeth, then sent a scalding jet of water fourth from her hands, _"Aligor Fusio_ Thundaria _!"_ she shouted, adding a powerful bolt of lightning to her Scald by use of the Fusion spell.

Her experiment worked exceptionally well, as the Bloodtooth that was attacking both herself and her companion was now lying on the floor, twitching violently from the mix of water and lightning.

Kautounie, meanwhile, had gotten herself caught up in quite a scrap fest of her own with two male zwetoocks, who thought her an easy target due to her wounded state. It was difficult to tell through the flurry of yowls, snarls, claws, teeth, and blood who was winning the battle. There was a sharp yelp as one of the attacking male Bloodtooths was impaled on a large, ethereal spike Kautounie had conjured, yet against all odds, that thing was still fighting.

Eventually, Princess Miachang and Prince Zorra joined the messy, (not to mention cramped) brawl. Unlike the other members of the pack, these two knew what they were doing. Miachang hung back, casting supportive spells on her mate and pack members, only using the staff she carried when she had too, while Zorra did the physical fighting. Even Dusk had grown board of siting on the sidelines and jointed the fray, sword and magnum in hand.

"Ah, there you are." Dusk smirked, pointing his sword at Kirby.

His smile broadened when he saw that Kirby had accepted his challenge. The little pink warrior's eyes narrowed as he raised Winterclaw. Time to really put that armor of his to the test! Dusk opened up the duel, taking two shots at Kirby, only to have one deflected by Winterclaw and the other bounce harmlessly off his armor.

"Not bad for an infant." Duck complemented before putting his revolver back in it's holster and only using his sword, "Now I understand what that old fading star sees in you, Kirby. I'd really like to take you in as my own. Think of the mayhem we could cause together."

"Poyo, never! Kaabii Medi Kni's app-apprentice!" Kirby shouted back.

"Ah, so it can speak now... sort of." Dusk shrugged.

The two batamons clashed blades, each one occasionally hindered by the other fights raging in the cramped environment. Kirby, his father's words and teachings echoing through his ears, was gaining the upper hand of the fight at first. Dusk suffered two strikes, where as he had only gotten his target once, the brunt of his attack absorbed by Kirby's armor. However, the bounty hunter backed up, reached into a pouch by his gun holster, then threw a cloud of dust and gunpowder into Kirby's eyes, temporarily blinding him and causing the baby star warrior to let out a startled yelp.

"Not everyone fights fair, Kirby!" Dusk taunted, "The easiest way to win is with a cheep shot. Didn't your thief friend teach you that?"

Next, Dusk unfurled his raven wings from his cape, swinging them outwards and revealing several small, scalpel-like blades concealed within the feathers. The mercenary smiled, finally seeing his opportunity to take the little star warrior for himself, but it fell just was quickly when he realized that some other people had decided to join in as well.

Zorra was just about ready to tear into King Dedede with his bare paws when suddenly, a flash of orange fire accompanied by a grayish blue blur that had come sprinting down the hall leaped forward with a roar, tackling the Bloodtooth Prince to the ground. Another Bloodtooth met a rather violent end, having been swiftly beheaded by Meta Knight's sacred golden blade. Next in line was a female Bloodtooth, who turned to face her new attackers, just in time to be run through with two swords. Two gunshots later, both males that had been tearing into Kautounie were dead. As for the next Bloodtooth victim, she had no idea what had struck her. She was so focused on ending Neo's life, right up until a sharp dagger in her back shifted her attention elsewhere. The point of the blade come out of her stomach, coated with thick, red blood and the wound around the blade began to turn black. Without warning, the Bloodtooth's eyes rolled back and she collapsed, revealing her attacker.

Now it was Dusk's turn to stare in disbelief, but his eyes were not deceiving him. Standing before him was none other then Meta Knight, his two loyal squires Sword and Blade, Geoffrey Collins, smoking gun in hand, and of all the people he never wanted to see again, Garna Riverdale. Her wolfwrath, Roaren, had also joined his mistress in battle, fire dripping from his maw as he pinned Zorra to the ground, threatening to bite. Wisely, the Bloodtooth Prince stayed very still.

For such a friendly creature, it was surprising to see just how fierce Roaren could be when he put his mind to it. One must never forget, celestial or not, he was still a wolfwrath.

Smiling insanely, Garna approached, though her free hand was holding onto her side, the same side where she kept her crowbar on her belt.

"You!? I thought I killed you!" Dusk shouted, "I can't believe I missed you at that range!"

Garna just moaned, holding out her empty hand. It was covered in blood, her own blood, and reviled a nasty bullet wound, caused by a high powered revolver, "You didn't miss!" Garna answered back, holding up Venomancer.

"Maybe it is a good thing your dog dragged you off before I could claim your corpse, then." Dusk muttered.

"That or I've just come back to haunt you. Right now I'm in so much pain I can't think straight, heheheheeeeee." Garna cackled.

"Garna?!" Kautounie cried out. "How did-? How did you-?"

"It wasn't easy, I'll tell you that much!" Garna answered, panting heavily, "I was just telling Geoffrey and Sir Meta Knight on the way down that it was lucky you all flew by when you did!"

Dusk growled furiously. There was no way he could return to Felldersai Taa empty handed, not after all his boasting to Holy Nightmare... and Gerard. Garna would certainly complicate things, more so then the dragons possibly, especially considering that by all rights she should have been dead! He may loose the battle, but gain something much more valuable in the end. Dusk would just have to play the game very carefully.

"Surrender, Dusk! You cannot take us all." Meta Knight ordered, the tip of Galaxia glowing with power as he prepared his Sword Beam.

"Or I can always put another bullet in your side to match." Geoffrey suggested, "I rather like that option better."

Dusk just smiled cleverly, putting away his own sword, while Miachang carefully made her way closer to Neo, following the gray batamon's signal. "Nope, I may not be able to take all of you right now, but I can pick and choose!" he said, making a sudden lunge for Kirby.

The smaller pink warrior squealed in surprise and attempted to fight back, right up until Dusk dodged his sword strike, twisted his arms around and took Kirby's sword from him. Eventually, Dusk forced the younger warrior's arms behind his back, then he held Kirby in front of him, Winterclaw at his throat.

"I told you not everyone fights fairly, little one." the bounty hunter hissed in Kirby's ear.

At first, Kirby struggled to break free, until Winterclaw's chilling blade was firmly pressed against his throat. In the confusion, a gunshot rang out, though Geoffrey grumbled with annoyance when he saw he had only grazed Dusk just above his shoulder guard. While Dusk made his bold move, Miachang had taken Neo hostage. There was a lot of yelping and cursing, until Miachang proved to be the victor, holding the young cub by the neck and in front of her like a shield. The Bloodtooth princess' grip was so tight it nearly cut off Neo's air supply, making speech for spell casting, not to mention just breathing, very difficult.

Furious, Kautounie forced herself to her feet, ignoring the crippling pain in her leg. She panted heavily, but stopped moving once Miachang's free hand reached over her sister's stomach and dug her claws in, causing Neo to let out a yelp of pain. Geoffrey pulled back the hammer of his oversized handgun again, but he didn't fire, not with how erratic Miachang was moving; he dared not risk hitting his little sister. Sword and Blade tensed up beside Meta Knight, ready to strike at their master's order. Growling and snapping her jaws in waring, Miachang dragged her prisoner to where Dusk stood with Kirby.

"Poyo... Tiff, Medi Kni!" Kirby cried out, yelping when his own icy blade began to bite into his skin, "Kauto!"

"No! Kirby!" Tiff cried out.

She was about to charge forward, but of all people, King Dedede was the one to hold her back, though there was something about the look on his face that told Tiff he wasn't at all thrilled with this guy. First insults, now this?

"Hey, how dare you! Only I was allowed to do that!" King Dedede shouted.

"You have no authority here, your majesty!" Dusk shouted, "If you even are a king in the first place."

Meta Knight leveled his most vicious glare to the gray batamon, as did Garna, Tiff and the rest of the team. The elder blue warrior took a step forward, but stopped once Dusk began to actually cut into his son's skin, drawing blood. Kirby closed his eyes, trying as hard as he could not to let any more cries of pain escape his mouth.

"Oh, I know that look right there... Untamed One. I've seen it many a time... when I tore sons away from their fathers! Or the other way around." Dusk laughed.

Now Meta Knight's eyes blazed angry crimson.

"Can it be? Has the tough, stoic, cold-hearted, and uncaring Sir Meta Knight become a proud daddy?" Dusk taunted, using his free hand to pet his captive.

Kirby cringed and closed his eyes. He had always loved it when Meta Knight and Tiff would stroke him. It was meant to be an affectionate and loving action from a parent to their child, or from an older sibling to a younger sibling. But when Dusk stroked him, it sent shivers throughout his entire body. Seeing Kirby's discomfort, not to mention the rise he was getting out of the others, Dusk continued, "You know, I wanted to be a father too, but I couldn't have any cubs of my own. I guess I'll just have to take yours!"

"Medi... daddy." Kirby pleaded as he was being dragged away.

Miachang began shouting and cursing in zwetoock while firmly emphasizing what she was willing to do to Neo should no one comply with her demands. Neo let out a labored and pained whimper as the Bloodtooth Princess' grip tightened around her neck. Kautounie had never felt so helpless. She was supposed to protect her little sister, yet here she was, unable to do anything.

"Garna, I suggest you call your wolf off of her highness' mate. Unless you'd like to see these little cubs' guts spilled all over the floor that is." Dusk sighed, moving the Winterclaw down to Kirby's belly and slowly cutting across, "As for you Geoffrey, don't shoot me again, unless you want my lady here to tear yours apart."

Tears began to form in the smaller pink puff's eyes. He struggled again, but it only made things worse. Eventually, Geoffrey grudgingly lowered his weapon while Garna whistled, ordering Roaren to her side.

"Garna, I've got the bastard right here! A single bite... just a single bite!" Roaren snarled, snapping his jaws just inches from Zorra's face.

"There better not be any biting, Roaren." Dusk warned, "Let his highness go, and we'll consider it a prisoner exchange."

"Roaren... come!" Garna ordered, pointing to her side, though it was obvious that she would have rather just had Roaren bite the mangy Bloodtooth dog and be done with it.

The wolfwrath obeyed, though not before spitting a small plume of fire just to the side of the Bloodtooth Prince's head. Roaren was purposely careless with his long, sharp claws, letting them rake across the mangy Bloodtooth prince as he let him up. With a grunt, Zorra threw the wolfwrath a dirty look before he rejoined his mate and the remainder of the pack at Miachang's and Dusk's side.

Now Dusk just began laughing again as he shifted his prisoner into an easier to hold position while he backed up.

"You stupid little thief, Garna. Did you honestly think I'd trade prisoners? Now I have everything, and you have nothing." Dusk snorted, "Maybe you should have listened to your dog."

"Garna..." Roaren whimpered softly.

"I should have just killed you when I had the chance." Garna growled, her hands clenching into fists.

Dusk only smiled; yes, she should have. Stupid girl.

"But I guess with Thea'or and your little base burned to the ground, you wont be causing my employer too much trouble anymore... Kautounie, unless you want your sweet little sister eviscerated, I suggest you stop casting this very second. Big brother was a good boy and listened, why don't you follow his example? And Meta Knight, I see that Sword Beam you're forming, don't even think about it. You see, I'd hate for you to kill my son." Dusk snorted, angering Meta Knight further.

How dare that monster call Kirby HIS son.

Kautounie thought about ignoring Dusk's orders, but the sight of Neo's blood coating Miachang's claws was enough to put her to a halt.

"Hmhmhm, I thought about giving Neo back, but then again, I could use a nursemaid to take care of my new little cub." Dusk snorted as he picked Kirby up, still holding Winterclaw to him.

Dusk let out a groan of discomfort when Kirby jabbed his small elbow into his kidnapper's gut where he had already been shot, but anymore struggling from the little guy was put to a screeching halt once Dusk shifted Kirby to his arm that held Winterclaw, leaving his other hand free to draw his revolver. One false move, and Kirby's guts would be all over the Halberd's interior.

"Poyo... daddy!" Kirby yelped.

"Silence, little one. I'm daddy now!" Dusk snarled.

Neo let out a rumbling growl, flattening her ears against her skull, but she was quickly quelled by sharp claws raking across her stomach. Kautounie only grew angrier when her sister whimpered.

"No! Give them back!" Tiff screamed.

"I think not, little lady. You see, you can't always get what you want... unless you're me." Dusk scoffed, "My, my, would you look at the time. We must be going now. If you really want the cubs back, you could always drop by my place to talk. But it better just be you, if I get so much as a whiff of that little shit over there, Garna, an entire raiding pack of Redsuns, or anything so much as resembling dragons... I'm afraid there's going to be nothing left for you claim. I know you're a smart daddy, Meta Knight, and you, a clever girl, Kautounie. You'll figure it out eventually. Feel free to keep what's left of my ship, it's not like I need it any more. Miachang, my dear, if you please." he finished, pulling back the hammer of his revolver and aiming for Garna, "Only one more... you can have it."

There was a flash from the barrel as Dusk's speeding bullet ripped through the air. Garna tensed up, her previous injury flaring up in agonizing pain.

"No, Garna!" Roaren shouted, leaping in front of his mistress to take the shot for her.

At the sound of his pained yelp, Garna froze. The celestial wolfwrath's breathing quickened at an alarming rate as blood poured from his shoulder where the bullet struck. Garna battled through her own pain and bent down to comfort her downed friend, then leveled her fierce, emerald gaze to Dusk as he and his remaining zwetoocks were enveloped in shadow. Rubbing salt in the wounds, the gray bounty hunter smiled triumphantly. He may have missed Garna with his last shot, but at least he nailed her pet.

"Roaren!" Geoffrey cried out.

"Better make your choices." Dusk taunted.

"Garna... I'm... alright... help them!" Roaren groaned, forcing himself to his feet, "Just a flesh wound..."

"NOOOOOOO! NEO! KIRBY!" Kautounie howled, leaping forward, only to collapse about a third of the way.

She struggled to her feet, ignoring her pain, though she was panting heavily, "NEO!"

Even King Dedede made a last desperate move to rescue his friends before they were gone for good, but a strike of fire from one of the other remaining female Bloodtooth's quickly brought Dreamland's king to a screeching halt.

Tiff, Meta Knight, his knaves, and Geoffrey all charged forward, though Garna carefully stepped around her injured wolfwrath at a level pace, her eyes fixed on her's and Roaren's attacker. First he shoots her, then he takes Kirby and Neo hostage, now he just shot her loyal and faithful friend?

As the seconds ticked by, the chance to save Kirby and Neo became less and less. The shadowy aura that formed around Dusk, the remaining Bloodtooths, and their captives became much stronger and more concentrated. Suddenly, a black dagger with a wavy blade was thrown in a gap between Meta Knight and Tiff as the two ran. Garna smiled insanely, watching as Dusk's eyes visibly widened.

"Daddy! Tiff!" Kirby cried, reaching out with his free hand as far as he could.

In a flash, Dusk, the Bloodtooths, and their captives vanished within the shadows, however, the Venomancer dagger had vanished with them.

"Kirby... KIRBY! Neo!" Tiff cried out, "NO!"

"Not my sister... not Neo!" Kautounie howled.

"Son of a bitch must pay!" Geoffrey shouted, taking a shot where Dusk had been standing, out of pure spite.

Meta Knight's amber eyes darkened as he took in a deep, labored breath. He had to keep himself collected and calm, but already, he knew what had to be done. Kirby was the Galaxy's last hope to defeat Nightmare. Without him, there was nothing. The elder warrior opened his eyes again, taking notice of the blood drops on the floor where Dusk had been standing not moments before, then he turned to look at Garna.

"He wont kill them," Garna hissed, "They're worth more to him alive and in one piece. Then again, with my little parting gift, he may not have a chance to do anything to them. He shouldn't have shot my wolf. No one hurts my wolf and gets away with it... heheheeeeee..." she cackled.

Whether Dusk kept them alive or not, Meta Knight had no idea where his son or Neo had been taken, but he was going to find them if it was the last thing he ever did. He glanced back to the broken team. Dusk had freely invited them to come and find him. It was obviously a trap, but as of yet, wondering straight into traps had been working for them so far. Now, it was time to prepare for a rescue!

"Captain, sir..." Sword Knight said, hesitantly.

"Get my ship in flying shape!" Meta Knight ordered, quivering beneath his armor, "I'm going to find my son and Neo!"

"I think you mean we're going to find Kirby and Neo!" Kautounie snarled, shoving a dead Bloodtooth's corpse aside.

"Hey, Neo's my sister too." Geoffrey growled, "And Kirby is my friend! Plus the bastard burned my home and Garna's to the ground, murdered most of the Wolf Pack, and shot the boss lady's friend. That son of a bitch is going down!"

"Yeah, but where do we start lookin'?" King Dedede asked, "They just gone and vanished the same was they appeared in the first place."

Tiff, taking in a deep breath, put in her two cents, after fumbling through her words and gestures to use a Group Healing spell, of course. They may not have known where Dusk and his pack of dogs had gone, but there was someone nearby who would know. Perhaps Tamoko and Kabu could shed some light on this dark hour.

"Mother... Neo... Kirby... forgive me!" Kautounie whispered, "You should not pay the price for my mistake."

Now she was greatly regretting that threat she sent to Nightmare. Neo had warned against it, but Kautounie had wanted to be intimidating. Well, he obviously got it if Dusk knew about it. It not only cost the future alphess her sister, but also her friend as well. Now... she would have to tell the others.

"Be brave, son. I will come for you... you are not in this alone, I will never abandon you, Kirby, my little warrior." Meta Knight breathed quietly, his eyes flashing red.

He had made up his mind. He would not rest until his sword was coated with Dusk's blood, that was, unless Kautounie, Geoffrey, or even Tiff got to him first...

 **Author's Notes::** And here's part 2. The battle goes from outside the Halberd to inside one of it's corridors. There he is, Dusk once again, but this time his backup is more reliable. Originally, I was planning on having Dusk getting captured while fighting, but I love this guy so much I wanted him to have his own subplot... and what a subplot it is.

Garna and Roaren are still alive, though not exactly in the best of shape. Plus, we get to see Roaren's inner beast become unleashed. The big question; what's going to happen now? Don't know what I'm talking about? Read the story then!

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	35. A Price of Flesh and Blood

In You're Nightmares, A Price of Flesh and Blood

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Shocking Confessions.

*Felldersai Taa*

Dusk, the Bloodtooths, and their prisoners reappeared within the main hall of Felldersai Taa. Once the effects of the teleportation had evaporated, Dusk immediately dropped Kirby, Winterclaw, and his magnum revolver, shouting in agony, collapsing to the stone floor and catching the attention of the other Bloodtooths and Nightmare Occultists that had been coming down the corridor. Kirby panted heavily, whipping his head around in a panic. He had no idea where he was, only that he wanted to escape... and NOW. The young warrior felt horribly disoriented from both his injuries received in the fight and the spell that had been cast to bring them here. The stone structure was barely lit with dying torches and dim lights, making seeing just five feet in front of you difficult. Not to mention the gray and black floors and walls were gritty and filthy. Next was the smell, like rotting corpses. It made him want to throw up. However, all the howling and shouts from behind Kirby quickly ripped his attention away from his new and unpleasant surroundings.

Kirby wasn't able to get a terribly long look, but he could see Neo still fighting against Miachang and Zorra, then he was able to make out the hilt of a rather fancy dagger in Dusk's side, not to mention a puddle of blood underneath the gray bounty hunter. For a brief moment amongst the chaos, he was ignored.

"MIACHANG!" Dusk howled, clutching the knife hilt, his quickly weakening grasp slipping from the thick, sticky blood coating his hand.

The gray bounty hunter wasn't feeling so good. Very quickly, a sickening feeling spread throughout his entire body, and his skin was turning black, starting from where the dagger was lodged, and it was spreading quickly. Within a minute, Dusk had already succumbed to a raging fever. Kirby had seen a wound like this before. It was a lot like the time Alpha Balor had bitten Meta Knight.

Hesitant at first, Miachang threw Neo to her mate to hold onto, snapping and barking at the other zwetoocks and occultists to back out of her way. This may have been Kirby's one chance. In the shuffle, the magnum revolver and Winterclaw had been thrown aside, but there was one weapon that was conveniently available.

"Poyo... never!" Kirby shouted, reaching over and pulling Venomancer out of Dusk's gut, causing his kidnapper more pain.

"AHHHHHH!" Dusk howled, putting both hands on his wound in an attempt to staunch the bleeding.

Kirby winced slightly as he was sprayed with Dusk's blood, but he couldn't let that stop him. The pink warrior's heart raced, whether it was fear, where he was, the chaos, or the fact that he was holding a weapon that had been used to murder countless Star Warriors, it could not be said. Perhaps it was all of the above. Kirby hyperventilated, whipping around in every direction, holding Venomancer out in front of him to defend himself. The frightened child nearly choked on his own, violent sobs.

"Kirby!" Neo screamed, right before raking her own claws against Zorra, causing the Bloodtooth prince to retaliate with a backhanded slap that sent Neo sprawling to the floor.

"Get... that... dagger..." Dusk groaned, "From... my cub."

"Poyo, never... never your cub! Medi Kni's!" Kirby shouted, sending a sword beam through Venomancer at Dusk.

Dusk may have been helpless at this time, however, Miachang was on guard, quickly bringing up a shield of fire to defend against Kirby's attack. But while she was distracted, the pink puffball had already sent another blade of light for Zorra and the other Bloodtooth that had been rounding on Neo. Zorra howled and backed away, his fur bristling, while the other one fell to the ground, limp and bleeding.

"Thanks, Kirby!" Neo shouted, taking the opportunity to cast a quick healing spell on Kirby and herself before drawing her own magnum revolver from the holster concealed under her skirt.

She fired twice while scrambling to her feet, missing once, but nailing an incoming occultist right in the chest. Neo yipped at Kirby, though he couldn't understand what she was saying, right before picking him up and placing him on her shoulder, then telling Kirby to hang on. The young zwetoock flicked her hand, sending a sphere of bright pink flames into the center of the room, then turned and fled. There was a loud explosion behind the two of them, but neither Kirby nor Neo were sticking around for the fireworks. Right now Neo only had one thing on her mind; put as much distance between Kirby and herself and their kidnappers as possible. She only slowed when the noises from the main hall became faint.

"Poyo, Neo?" Kirby asked, fearfully as he shivered from the cold, "Where are we?"

"I can't say for sure, but if we are where I think we are-" Neo cut herself off, catching her breath.

This entire place was a maze of corridors and chambers. But a brief glance out one of the barred windows was enough to steal her breath away. They were certainly in the Badlands, that much was for sure. Outside, past the courtyard and castle walls was a vast lake, covered by a veil of early morning fog. Not much more could be seen from their vantage point. Then Neo began to put the pieces together; a stronghold perched on an island in the middle of the one lake in the Badlands... that could only mean one thing. Neo's mother had only told her stories about this place, but she had said that it had been destroyed.

"It-it-it can't be... Felldersai Taa..." Neo whispered, her fear growing with every heartbeat.

"Poyo? Fell-er-whi?" Kirby asked.

"Kirby, we've got to get out of here, now!"

*Back in the Main Hall*

At first, not to many of the occultists and Bloodtooths knew what had happened, save for Miachang who had just saved Dusk yet again by raising her shield of flames just in time before Neo's fireball engulfed both the gray batamon, herself, and most important of all, her mate. Uncaring of the other smoldering corpses and half burned wounded around him, Zorra warmly nuzzled his mate, licking her behind the ear. With a gentle push, Miachang signaled to her husband that now wasn't the best time, as her magical healing was having no effect on Dusk's injury.

"Venom of the Alpha Hell Hound!" Miachang snarled, taking a small container filled with a thick, foul-smelling paste out of the pouch at her side.

There wasn't any time to move Dusk somewhere more comfortable, the young Necromancer was going to have to perform surgery right here in the messy corridor.

Dusk moaned in agony, knowing full well that the treatment, especially coming from a Bloodtooth, was going to be tortuously painful. Firm paws forced him onto his back and held the bounty hunter still.

"Those of you... not... helping... get out there... and bring back my cubs!" Dusk ordered.

Miachang snapped and howled again, pointing wildly, "The Untamed One's cub and the Redsun Dragon... bring them back!"

Zorra nodded, then took off after the others, taking the lead. The Bloodtooth princess' howl had rallied every demon beast, dead or alive, lurking within the walls. Every single one of them would be on the hunt for a young Redsun cub and a pink batamon star warrior.

Now Dusk steeled himself, knowing what was to come next. As soon at the ointment touched his wound, the bounty hunter screamed in pain, his cries echoing throughout the prison fortress.

*Somewhere in the Fortress... lost*

Neo and Kirby had no idea where they were going. Half the time, it felt like they were going in circles. Other times, it was difficult to distinguish between the moans and screams coming from the trapped spirits within the walls, or from their fast-approaching pursuers. They had already evaded them a couple of times, not to mention there were a few bodies littering the twisting corridors thanks to some fireballs and lightning bolts summoned by Neo, as well as a few sword beams, courtesy of Kirby.

"Where the hell even are we?" Neo panted, taking a moment to catch her breath and check her 44 Magnum revolver.

She only had three shots left, so she'd have to make them count. Kirby meanwhile, was keeping watch. Even standing perfectly still, the two of them could hear voices, some screaming in pain, others laughing and speaking is soft whispers. Then, stepping out of the shadows in the hall, Kirby and Neo both saw the large hell hound that was quickly approaching. There was no sign of where he came from, it was as if it just came out of no where.

"Poyo!" Kirby yelped, sending his sword beam in the fiend's direction, causing it to scurry off without a trace.

Both Neo and Kirby were breathing heavily. There was no mistaking an Alpha Hell Hound. An emaciated doberman the size of a pony, kinda difficult to miss. However, their minor relief was short lived, as a cruel, raspy laugh began to fill their ears. Where it was coming from exactly, they could not be certain, but the voice was strangely familiar... and that was most frightening of all. That was, until another apparition melded out of the wall and faintly blended into the shadows, just showing enough of itself to get Kirby's and Neo's hearts pounding wildly once more. This one looked like Geoffrey, yet at the same time, it looked closer to the human form that Nightmare liked to take when he needed something more substantial. The assassin, Gerard Collins.

"It can't be..." Neo whispered, as she and Kirby both watched the assassin's form fade away with a laugh.

"Poyo... scary here." Kirby whimpered, trembling, "G-ghosts in here."

"I-I know it is, Kirby." Neo said, her voice cracking due to her dry throat, "Just remember, we've got to be brave. That's what Sir Meta Knight would want... from both of us."

Kirby nodded once Neo started the trek once again. The two escapees found themselves in a dimly lit hall with a corridor leading to some barracks to the right, and a stairwell going up to third level of Felldersai Taa. About half way up was a hole that looked like it had been burned through a long time ago that Dusk's crews hadn't got around to fixing yet.

"Kirby... even if we can't get out... we may be able to send for help." Neo said hopefully, striding up the stairs three at a time in her haste.

The hole wasn't nearly big enough for Neo to fit through, and even Kirby would have a difficult time getting through. But all Neo needed was to see the outside so she knew where to center her spell before she started casting. She nearly passed out upon completion, due to a large amount of spent stamina, but thankfully Kirby was there for her, gently nudging her to keep her conscious. Soon enough, outside, the particles of golden light Neo had conjured took the shape of her trusty, rust red great horned owl.

"My princess, and my tiny warrior, what-arrhhhhheeee!" Talon screeched, suddenly finding that she had to start beating her wings if she was to keep in the air.

"Talon, I'm terribly sorry, my friend!" Neo began, pausing when she heard a loud noise coming from down the hall, "Hurry and find Kautounie, Meta Knight, and the others. I saw them last in the Crimson Woods... home. You'll have to guide them to us here!"

"Where's here, my princess?" Talon asked, growing more and more frightened by the second.

"Felldersai Taa!" Neo answered, "Fly now before they see you!" she urged, nearly on the brink of tears.

Usually, Talon was one for wanting the whole story and was often stubborn. But upon hearing that evil name, the great horned owl twisted around and took off higher into the sky. Neo and Kirby were only able to get a glimpse of her before she melded into the darkness. The young mage could only hope that Dusk nor any of his troops had any knowledge of her familiar. She had always tried to keep Talon a secret from her enemies, lest they use the owl as a weapon against her.

"Poyo... Talon... find da-Medi Kni?" Kirby asked, hopefully, managing a weak smile.

Neo smiled back to the pink puffball, a tear falling down her cheek, "Yes, of course she will. Talon's very good at finding friends of mine. And there's no reason to cover it up anymore, Kirby. I already know that Meta Knight's decided to adopt you. He'll be a great father for you. So we've both got to be strong. We'll get through this together. Dusk's going through a lot of trouble to take us alive. If he wanted us dead, he'd have killed us when he had the chance."

With Talon sent on her mission, Neo and Kirby set out to find their own escape route elsewhere in the keep. It was far to dangerous to linger in one place for too long. They had too keep moving.

Somewhere in what Neo guessed was the west wing of Felldersai, she and Kirby turned a corner, running into Zorra and his pack coming down one of the hallways... again. In an instant, the male zwetoock caught the scent. His ears perked up and his lips curled up above his teeth as he growled.

"Poyo..." Kirby moaned, dread filling him as he clutched Venomancer in his tiny hands.

"Shit!" was all Neo said as she fled, Kirby clinging to her shoulder.

From all the fighting, running, and spell casting, Neo had become quite exhausted, even after her earlier healing spell. And it didn't help any when she felt something small and sharp lodge itself in her leg, causing her to trip. Kirby was flung from her shoulder and rolled along the gritty floor. It was just a good thing he hadn't accidentally stabbed himself with Venomancer, which he still held in his hand with a death grip.

"Neo!" Kirby cried out, summoning a sword beam over her and towards the oncoming Bloodtooths and assorted demon beasts.

Neo did the smart thing and lay perfectly still, letting the blade of light cut through the air above her and slice right through the hordes of monsters cramming themselves in the narrow hall. Next, Neo was about to try using the Torrent spell she had gotten from Ronic's spell book, but only a small spark flew from her hand.

"Damn it... wyrmrot!" Neo snarled, tearing the small dart out of her leg.

Yup, there was no mistaking that smell. The wound itself, although annoying, was nothing deadly, but now she was completely unable to use her spells. The only comfort she could give herself was that at least Talon had already been summoned and was on her way to tell Meta Knight and Kautounie where they were being held captive.

Kirby helped Neo to her feet, and the two of them were about to start running again, only to be cut off by another group of occultists and Bloodtooths, containing the two of them in the narrow corridor. There were no windows, and no other hallways. Just two walls of demon beasts and Bloodtooths coming from either side of the hall, and solid stone and steel cutting off any hope of escape. It was fight your way through or surrender. And surrender wasn't an option.

"Poyo!" Kirby cried out, sending yet another sword beam through the air, while Neo fired off her last three rounds from her magnum revolver.

Things became a blur from there. The two young warriors fought with all their might, slaying many demon beasts and Bloodtooths. Once Neo's magnum had run out of bullets, the zwetoock cub fought with her claws and teeth, knowing her wand would do her no good without access to her sorcery. With a single cut from the Venomancer, Kirby was able to bring his would-be captors to their knees. He would then inhale the slain demon beasts before they disintegrated, and would spit them out in the form of star shaped projectiles.

But in the end, Kirby and Neo were eventually overwhelmed by the countless numbers and disarmed. It could not be certain for how long the two of them were beaten into submission by their captors, only that it felt like a lifetime. One of the zwetoocks poured something down Kirby's throat and forced him to swallow. Shortly after, his skin paled, and he spat up his extra weapons and suppressed copy abilities, along with the remains of whatever he had eaten last. It left a terrible taste in his mouth, but that was the least of his worries right now.

Both he and Neo endured physical and verbal abuse, enough to drive someone to complete madness. In the end, Kirby was stripped of his cape and armor while Neo was stripped to just a loincloth and her tribal feathers. Once completely disarmed and humiliated, Zorra ordered for the prisoners to be restrained and gagged before taking them to Dusk for confirmation of their capture.

*Dusk's private chambers*

Dusk's personal room in the keep was the same one that had been used by the prison's warden at one time. It was large, had a comfortable bed and nice furniture, though like the rest of the place, it was poorly lit. There were a few damaged paintings hanging on the walls and the fireplace against the left hand side was lit, providing some warmth. By the fireplace were a couple sitting chairs, a couch, as well as a liquor cabinet. Against the back wall in the center of the room was the bed, which had many warm fur pelts and blankets. Dusk currently resided there, Miachang by his side.

The gray batamon didn't look any better. He was still very sick, and it seemed that Miachang was having to change his bandages often due to the poor quality of the materials. Still, he was very much awake, though he seemed quite pleased when Zorra and his Bloodtooths came stomping in, captives in hand. The Bloodtooth prince didn't say anything; he merely set Kirby's armor, Neo's clothes and possessions, as well as the Venomancer dagger on Dusk's bedside table, next to the open liquor bottle and ashtray.

Dusk chuckled slightly, stopping only because it began to hurt, "Your highness, you... are... too kind."

Neo and Kirby both struggled against their captors, stopping once sharp claws were placed by their throats. Zorra began snapping something in zwetoock, which although Kirby didn't understand, Neo knew perfectly well that he was telling Dusk what had happened, then asked if he would like the cubs slaughtered here and now.

"No...no... my prince," Dusk choked out, falling into a violent coughing fit.

"Dusk, you must go to sleep if the medicine is to work!" Miachang urged.

"Not until... I know my little ones... are safe..." Dusk panted, "Alive... and safe."

He paused for a moment, inspecting his prisoners. They were beaten up and bloody to be certain, but they'd live, "Take my son and... the little dragon... down... to the... lower levels. Let them get settled in their new home while... I heal. I want them alive... alive and safe." he ordered, "Take good care... of my cubs."

Zorra glanced to his mate, relaxing when she nodded. Dusk took quite a bit of delight in seeing the way Kirby and Neo had succumbed to their kidnappers, becoming quiet and unresponsive, as they were dragged from his room. It didn't really take a genius to figure out what was in the lower levels of the infamous prison, after all. Dusk sighed heavily and relaxed, finally letting sleep take him, though Miachang was quick to notice that they were no longer alone in the room. Gerard Collins and Alpha Balor had decided to join them.

"A lot of trouble for those two. I would have just killed them." Gerard snorted, his form shifting closer to his old weapon until Miachang forced him to back off.

"Good thing you are not in charge then. The Deva Noirdomak wants the Untamed One's cub and the little dragon alive!" Miachang growled.

"Hmph, whatever." Balor snorted, taking a closer look at Dusk while Gerard stroked him, "You really knew what you were doing when you had that dagger made, didn't you?"

Gerard simply nodded, "To think all this time it had been in the hands of that crazy little halfling girl."

"That crazy little halfling girl nearly killed the Gray One!" Miachang snapped, "Begone with you both! Leave us in peace. Dusk needs to rest!"

Gerard just smirked as his form faded away. Afterlife certainly wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Necromancers could really be a pain in the ass. Balor followed the assassin's lead, trotting through Dusk's bed and towards the fireplace, passing seamlessly through the stone and concrete.

Miachang continued to tend to Dusk's comfort, satisfied that the restless spirits had been dealt with... until the next time, anyway.

*Dungeons of Felldersai*

Meanwhile, while Dusk was resting comfortably in his room, Kirby and Neo were roughly dragged into the lower levels of the prison. Apparently the fortress above was for protection, against forces trying to break in or those trying to get out, and a place for the army troops, prison guards, staff, and demon beasts to stay. It was underneath the ruined castle where the actual prison was. The labyrinth of cell blocks was weakly lit by lights in the ceiling. The walls were made of solid stone, steel, and concrete. There was a filthy feeling under their feet, like years' upon years' worth of filth and dried blood and grit on the floor. It was far worse down here then the actual fortress in the upper levels.

While being dragged through the winding, twisting corridors, Neo and Kirby couldn't help but notice that many of the cells simply contained corpses that no one had bothered to remove and deal with. What was frightening even more, was when an obvious corpse DID get up and start moving. Naturally, Neo and Kirby were both growing more and more terrified the further inside they were taken, but couldn't voice their feelings with their mouths gagged. A short while later, they passed by some small, cramped cells containing some other zwetoocks. They looked wild and rugged, though they had been badly beaten. Obviously not Redsuns or Bloodtooths. In all honesty, Neo had no idea which pack they were part of.

After enduring more abuse, both physical and verbal, the young mage and star warrior were brought in front of a cell with a heavy steel door. There wasn't anything inside, save for dirt, filth and the cold, concrete walls themselves. Before being thrown inside, one of the accompanying female Bloodtooths put a replica of Nightmare's medallion around Neo's neck, delighting as she yipped and protested through the gag tied around her mouth. With a laugh, Prince Zorra ordered their bindings and gags to be removed before he shoved the prisoners inside, closing the door behind them. What dim light there was inside the cell from a single, hanging light bulb was shut off, leaving Kirby and Neo both in a complete, suffocating blackout.

"Poyo... Neo?" Kirby cried out, fearfully, his voice weakening from pained sobs.

He yelped when something in the dark grabbed him, but he relaxed once he felt Neo's soft fur and her gentle touch run down his back. Even in the dark, she knew exactly where that sensitive spot was, as she could feel Kirby settling down in her arms.

"I'm right here, Kirby." Neo whispered, softly, her fur becoming wet with tears.

The young sorceress had tried to take off the necklace, but it wasn't budging, which could only mean one thing; it was a cursed object. Probably a shackle to contain her sorcery since wyrmrot was rare, not to mention pricey.

Kirby and Neo had no idea what was to be done with them, only that it couldn't be anything good. All the two cubs could do now was wait and hold out for as long as they could. Talon was on her way. She'd find Meta Knight and the others, sooner or later. They had to have faith, now more then ever. Still, her thoughts kept on drifting back to her family and friends. Were Meta Knight, Kautounie, and the others alright? What about her mother and father? Tamoko and Rhego must have been worried sick about her, and Kirby too.

"Neo... be brave..." Kirby whispered, eventually drifting off to sleep in the young mage's arms.

"Sundar... defend us in battle..." Neo said, quietly, before letting her tears flow freely.

It was cold on the hard stone floor, making a comfortable spot impossible to find. All the two of them had at this moment was each other. For a while, Neo's thoughts drifted to Dusk, resting comfortably in his bed, covered with many fur pelts and soft pillows to rest his head, while they were left to suffer in a tiny cold and dark cell with nothing but the filth of the floor to lay down in. His cubs! How sickening. How dare Dusk call them his cubs. He was certainly no father.

"Poyo... Kaabii... Dusk's..." Kirby whimpered, unable to finish his sentence.

"Don't listen to him, Kirby. Meta Knight is your father, no one else. Don't let that son of a bitch tell you any different." Neo stated, firmly.

"Poyo." Kirby acknowledged.

Finally, Neo and Kirby both settled down in the far corner to get some sleep. It would be difficult, what with their open wounds and pain, but they would have to fight through it. For themselves, and for their family.

Before drifting off, Neo lightly licked Kirby on the forehead, a tender sign of affection zwetoocks would often give to their cubs.

"Poyo... daddy... Kaabii... will be brave... keep Neo safe." Kirby sniffled, a tear rolling down his blushed cheek.

*Just outside the Halberd, Crimson Woods*

As soon as the Halberd had made a safe landing, Meta Knight and the remainder of the team, along with Escargoon and Garna, left the safety of the warship and went out into the desecrated woods. There was plenty of light to illuminate their path by the fires burning in the trees, fallen and standing alike. Already Escargoon was regretting tagging along, given all the gruesome sights that were greeting their eyes.

Although most demon beasts simply disintegrated upon death, there were several corpses, of friend and foe alike, not to mention different body parts that had been hacked off and the gore, laying in disarray. Already, the snow that fell was covering some of the mess of the battle. Never before had the Crimson Woods been so cold.

They passed by the ancient, overgrown shell of the old keep where Tamoko's throne stood, making their way towards Kabu's clearing. As they did so, all of them witnessed some sights that would haunt them forever. First, there was mighty dragon, Zodiac, with a large, freshly broken tree stump plunging through his chest. The sharp, jagged wood protruding through his shoulder was covered in thick, viscous blood and the damage caused by The Tormentor and the painted Eclipse could be clearly seen. He was very still, with his beautiful sapphire blue eyes closed. Sadly, Zodiac would never ride the skies again. Already, Dracara had covered his face with what remained of the great gold dragon's leathery wings.

"He died with honor, doing what he swore to do." Dracara said, straining from the sadness filling her voice, "A true Dragon of Horva."

Tiff gasped in horror, fighting as hard as she could to stop her tears from flowing. Why was she feeling this way? The only dragons she knew of were the ones Nightmare sent to fight Kirby and Meta Knight. But even the young Dreamlander could see just how important these creatures were to the people of Horva, especially the Redsuns. Kautounie and Geoffrey both dipped into a bow, making somatic hand gestures.

"Forgive us, great lord." Kautounie whispered, "May Sundar's fire guide you to your place of peace and rest."

Next, just a few more yards down the path, a frightened cub had come from the bushes, yelping and crying. He bounded towards Meta Knight and Kautounie, frantically pointing to the direction from which he came. Meta Knight and his team were in a great hurry, but the next sight that greeted them was just as painful as seeing the mighty gold dragon, Zodiac, dead. There was a female zwetoock, cradling her deceased mate in her arms, howling loudly in her grief. The zwetoock cub glanced back to Meta Knight, then to Kautounie, then to Geoffrey, barking and baying.

"I'm sorry... there's-" Kautounie cut herself off, trying to fight back her tears as she and the others watched the fatherless cub whimper and curl up by his mother's side.

The female zwetoock, which Tiff and Meta Knight recognized as the leader of the scouting party that rescued them from the Badlands when they had first arrived on Horva, looked up to them, speaking very indecisive zwetoock. Geoffrey and Kautounie both knelt down beside her and her cub, answering in yips and barks. Meta Knight remained silent as he closed his eyes for a moment, understanding every word. There was no easy way in any language to tell someone you're sorry for their loss. The grieving widow gently set her dead mate down and nuzzled against Geoffrey and Kautounie, taking what comfort she could find from her fellow pack mates.

"If... he was to die... he died fighting... beside the stars and dragons." the widow Redsun whimpered.

"Remember him for who he was. A true dragon of the Redsun." Geoffrey said, in his best attempt to comfort the distraught mother and her cub.

There was nothing more any of them could do for the mother and child. Even King Dedede began to feel a lump forming in his throat. All around, there were dead and orphaned cubs, dead husbands and wives, dead brothers and sisters. Others that were gravely wounded and would never be able to heal completely, even with the aid of sorcery. What healers that had survived the attack were spread thin, patching up as many of the wounded as they could before carrying them off to Kabu so they could rest and heal in the safety of the giant totem's stone walls. In the distance, the mighty Ruby Corona, Thexadrell could be seen nearby Kabu's clearing, tending to a badly injured gold dragon. All around him, he had amassed many orphaned cubs, keeping them safe under his wings.

So much death, so much blood. Garna and Roaren had been through something similar once before, and this was an all too familiar sight to Meta Knight, but for Geoffrey and Kautounie, it was beyond shocking. They were skilled adventurers, they had traveled around and been in their own fair share of battles, but there is nothing quite like the sight of the aftermath of a war, especially when the battlefield is your own home.

"This... this is my fault." Kautounie whispered, "By the Will of Sundar, what have I done?"

"Kautounie, what are you saying? You didn't do any of this!" Tiff said, "Nightmare and his soldiers did!"

Before Kautounie could confess about her earlier actions back in Harmony, a loud howl caught her attention. The elder zwetoock's ears perked, knowing her mother's voice. Another howl, this one her father's, followed shortly afterward. As soon as they started up the worn, natural dirt road, past Thexadrell and the bonfire that had been lit under the wounded Moondancer dragoness he was taking care of, the team made it to the massive stone structure.

It was quite a shock. The once lush and beautiful red foliage that had surrounded the wise, All-Knowing One was torn from the ground or burned to ashes. The ground beneath their feet was now muddy and slushy, from the dirt and the snow that had melted from the heat of the fires that still burned through the early morning darkness. From behind the fallen trees and the snowfall, Meta Knight could see the first signs of dawn approaching. How dare the light shine now. It was almost as if the approaching morning light was mocking them in their grief.

"Kautounie, Geoffrey, Sir Meta Knight!" Tamoko called out as she and her mate rushed towards their children and their companions.

The Alphess Redsun grabbed hold of her daughter and son, pulling them as close to her as she could. Rhego yipped and grunted as he too nuzzled his cubs in relief. Both were wounded, yet had not bothered with any medical treatments, not until the rest of the pack was seen to first.

Tamoko greeted her children, then Meta Knight and the rest of their companions in turn. She already knew of Garna and her wolfwrath, having been introduced to them a long while back. The alphess kept her introductions to King Dedede and Escargoon short. By no means was she trying to be rude. To be fair, she had quite a bit on her mind. Thankfully, those two were smart enough to keep quiet.

"Mother..." Kautounie began, only to be gently quieted by the alphess.

"I know... my daughter..." Tamoko said quietly, her light blue eyes releasing a single tear, "The Gray One who runs with demons has taken her... and Meta Knight's-"

"He's taken my son!" Meta Knight growled.

Tamoko and Rhego both paused for a moment. So Meta Knight had finally said it. The Alphess knew he would, it was only a matter of time. But now Tiff, King Dedede, and even Garna gave him quizzical looks. Meta Knight certainly wasn't keeping this in the dark anymore.

"That's not all he's taken, the Free City is gone," Geoffrey explained.

"There's nothing left of Thea'or. It's people are homeless. Those that survived, anyway." Tiff added.

"He destroyed the entire city and slaughtered many just so he could get to me." Garna added, "The bastard told me so himself before he shot me."

Roaren nodded sadly in confirmation.

"Cities and homes, gold and possessions can be remade, rebuilt. The Great Red Forest is strong, and in time, it too shall grow anew. But some things cannot be replaced," Tamoko sighed, "This night, The Gray One stole cubs from their mothers and fathers, mothers and fathers from their cubs, brothers from their sisters, husbands from wives. Even the Great Golden Lord Zodiac..."

She paused for a moment, nearly choking on her breaths. Rhego gently nuzzled his wife, letting her lean against him for support. Now Kautounie knew she had to let the truth be known.

"Mother... this is my fault." Kautounie confessed at last.

"How can it be your fault?" Tiff asked, "You didn't destroy the city. You didn't send that black dragon out to attack, and you certainly were not holding that sword to Kirby's throat, nor were your hands around Neo's neck!" she pointed out, her temper beginning to rise.

While the others started questioning what Kautounie was talking about, Tamoko closed her blinded eyes, sighing heavily. She already knew what was to come.

"I could have done more! I should have done more, only I didn't." Tiff snarled, "First, I loose his Warp Star, then I loose him. Not only that, I lost a real friend too. Sometimes, I wonder what Kirby or Neo ever saw in me. Once again, I succumbed to weakness."

"Roaren should have just fried that Bloodtooth son of a bitch while he was on top of him, but I was the fool who ordered him away, even though I knew Dusk would never surrender his captives," Garna admitted, earning an 'I told you so' look from Roaren, "Or I should have pounded his skull in myself with my crowbar."

"Indeed, we have all made mistakes this night, myself included. Kirby is my son, and Neo my friend. Both have saved my life before, yet I-I-I... I did nothing to save them." Meta Knight confessed.

Geoffrey and King Dedede nodded in agreement with the others. There was a lot any of them could have done, only they didn't. But Kautounie still wasn't convinced. They had yet to learn what she had done.

"WELL I DARED NIGHTMARE TO SEND HIS BEST!" she snapped at last, panting heavily, "And he did."

"You did what?" Meta Knight and Geoffrey asked in unison.

"K-Kautounie..." Tiff stammered.

Now it was all out in the open and there was no turning back.

"After we won back the Halberd and claimed Harmony, I decided to send Nightmare a message of my own," Kautounie explained, "He's been constantly threatening us, so... I sent him the heads of the three Prescotts through the Monster Transporter, and a note daring him to send his best next time." she paused for a moment, collapsing to the muddy ground, allowing her tears to flow freely, "Neo... was the only other one who knew about it. She... advised against it, but I didn't listen. I wanted to intimidate Nightmare and that bitchqueen Riley. But Neo... she's so damn loyal to me... she didn't say a word to anyone simply because I asked her not too... now she and Kirby are both paying the price for my mistake. The highest price... that of flesh and blood... as am I, my brother... and my friends."

Once Kautounie's confession had come to light, Tiff could now make sense of Dusk's prior taunt, _"This game is in check, next time, send your best!"_

Even Garna and Roaren looked alarmed. They may have been crazy, but they only helped themselves to Nightmare's money, they never flaunted it in his face. Sending the Overlord of the Galaxy three heads of his loyal officers and a message daring him to send his best? Yeah, that wasn't the wisest move.

"So... you is sayin'... you actually... sent that... to Nightmare?" King Dedede asked nervously.

"I would never lie about this!" Kautounie growled.

Meta Knight sighed and sadly shook his head. Just what was she thinking? Carefully, he approached the upset zwetoock. Kautounie didn't even look up to him,

"I failed you, my friend. I failed my mother, my father, Geoffrey, Neo, Kirby, Tiff, and Garna." Kautounie said, "I... I betrayed you. Should you see it fit for what has been taken from you, take mine here and now. I do not fear Galaxia."

"Kautounie! What are you saying?!" Tamoko growled, her ears flattening against her skull.

Rhego began grunting and barking, trying to get a rise out of his daughter. Kautounie weakly looked up. She had been expecting the others to start tearing into her, verbally and physically. Tamoko, Rhego, Geoffrey, and Meta Knight... they all knew Kautounie was better then this.

"You are worth nothing to your sister or my son dead, Kautounie!" Meta Knight snapped, "Get up! You're a princess of the Redsun Pack! Act like one! For as long as I have known your kind, I know that the dragon does not bow to the demon!"

At Meta Knight's sharp tone, paired with more snaps, barks and gestures from her parents, Kautounie got back to her feet, uncaring of the mud caked onto her fur. Although she was still quiet, those words were reaching her ears loud and clear. Meta Knight certainly did know the language of the Redsun.

"He's right. Damned idiot for withholding truth and information from us. Double damned idiot for challenging Nightmare and Riley directly and in such a matter. But you didn't betray us, you made a choice and it cost. Neo is my sister too, and so are you. We are a pack and we're in this together." Geoffrey added, "You're the future Alphess of the Redsun, Kautounie. Show those Bloodtooth bastards and Nightmare's hordes that you are a true dragon! They've taken much from us yes. And by Sundar's will, we're gonna take it back!"

"Kautounie... I... I can forgive you for what you have done. But Meta Knight and Tamoko are right! You're worth nothing to Kirby or Neo if your dead!" Tiff added.

"Things look bad from where we stand now, but many great triumphs in the past were made by people in your position right now." Garna explained, "Roaren and I ought to know."

"I may not know ya nearly as well as Meta Knight and them all, but I've seen you fight! Nothin' can break that dragon spirit or whatever it is you zwetoocks call it!" King Dedede grunted, "And I'm willin' to give you all a hand out there wherever it is we is goin'! Not only did that Dusk take my friend, I gotta give him a good poundin' for all them insults! Escargoon or myself is the only ones allowed to do that!" he finished with a nod.

"Congratulations King Dededitz, you just murdered the mood." Geoffrey muttered, right before he was silenced by a stern glare from, Meta Knight, Garna,... and his mom.

"Indeed, my cub, what you did was very foolish, but war with Nightmare was inevitable. Whether by your message or not, he would have sent his armies of steel and demons regardless." Tamoko sighed, "But you took responsibility for your actions and were willing to pay the price, the highest price. Your family, your friends are still with you, my daughter. True family does not abandon each other in time of need."

Kautounie glanced to her brother and friends in turn. They were willing to forgive her for her mistake, but there was no reason for Neo and Kirby to continue paying the price for any longer then needed.

"Not this day, Kautounie, but one day, I would be proud to call you, My Alphess." Meta Knight said, nodding, "Come, I think we've talked about this long enough. Right now, I'd like to take my son back."

"Since it wont do Neo nor Kirby any good just standing here debating about a non-existent betrayal, speak now with Kabu... perhaps he can shed some light on this ever darkening hour." Tamoko suggested.

The alphess' mate gently guided her past Meta Knight and Kautounie. As alphess, it was Tamoko's duty to take care of the pack and bring them back together. Although Tiff seemed a little irritated at first, Meta Knight quickly explained what Tamoko was doing. Besides, it would be nice to have a little bit of privacy.

Using a quick Wind spell, Kautounie cleared the snow and dirt from the stone base of Kabu. Everyone's hearts began to beat a little faster, anxiously awaiting what the ancient totem had to say. If he would speak at all.

"Kabu?" Kautounie asked, dropping down to one knee.

Silence.

"Ummm, time is of the essence, Kabu." Geoffrey urged, "Anyone home?"

Kautounie stood up, fighting with herself not to growl and snap in her frustration.

"I sense that your hearts are troubled and that there is much you need of me. " boomed Kabu's deep and powerful telepathic voice.

Now he was getting it! Took him long enough, as far as Kautounie was concerned.

"All-Knowing One, Neo and Kirby have been taken from us!" she began.

"Please Kabu, we've got to know where Dusk has taken them!" Tiff pleaded.

For a brief moment, there was nothing but the totem's silence, and the low, rumbling growl from the dragons behind the group as they watched, curiously. Finally, Kabu answered, "The young Star Warriors have been taken to the the place of stone and ice. The Demon's lands. Dusk holds Kirby and Neo prisoner in Felldersai Taa to the east, in the Badlands. There, he waits for the rest of you."

At the sound of that evil name, Kautounie and Geoffrey both grew wide-eyed. Even Meta Knight tensed up.

"Why am I not surprised?" Geoffrey moaned.

"Felldersai Taa? T-that place was destroyed! I remember, I was there! I flew with the dragons and Redsuns myself when they burned that prison down!" Meta Knight growled, his eyes flashing angry red.

"Yes, Meta Knight... but Nightmare has been having it rebuilt. Dusk has been roosting there for some time since his defeat at your hands in Ravenwing Bog, overseeing Felldersai's construction." Kabu said, "Nightmare, in his rebirth, needed a prison strong enough to contain star warriors, mages, and if need be, dragons."

"But dragon fire destroyed Felldersai once, it can destroy Felldersai again!" Kautounie grunted with a nod.

"Wait! Remember, Dusk said if they saw dragons, he'd just kill Kirby and Neo both!" Tiff pointed out.

"This is indeed true. Dusk knows you will do whatever it takes to save your family," Kabu drawled, "He will keep them alive, only so they may be used as bait for his trap. Dusk's lust for riches and revenge is insatiable. The Gray Demon will not stop until you are all delivered to Nightmare in chains."

Well it was obvious that Dusk was baiting them into a trap. Why else would he have taken Kirby and Neo alive in the first place? Besides, his employer had a thing for live victims; they were much more fun for him to mutilate into monsters.

"Wait a sec," Garna muttered, smiling slyly, "Kabu, I stabbed that son of a bitch in the gut with Venomancer. Is he even still alive? That blade is enchanted with a potent toxin, venom of the Alpha Hell Hound to be precise."

Geoffrey and Meta Knight both stared at Garna, as did Tiff. Now Meta, Geoffrey, and even Tiff all knew Venomancer was enchanted with poison, but they didn't know the exact kind... until now.

"Garna Riverdale, you are sure of aim, but Dusk still lives. Though he is ill from the poison. Miachang Bloodtooth tends to him now." Kabu answered.

Roaren whimpered sadly while Garna glowered, "Damn it! I don't have Venomancer anymore and I didn't even kill the bastard! Shit!"

"But he is sick. Perhaps this could buy us some time... buy Neo and Kirby some time." Kautounie pointed out, hopefully.

"Well, we may not be able to take a dragon with us, but I've still got something they wont see coming." Geoffrey mentioned, taking a splendid, shining gemstone from his pocket.

He remembered that day they left the Crimson Woods, when Tamoko presented each of them with a gift. She had given him powerful, enchanted gem stones. Geoffrey had originally considered using them against Masher 2.0, but he never really got the chance. Well, if they were going into Bloodtooth Territory, they would need all the fire power they could get.

"There's more then demons, undead, and Bloodtooths in the Badlands," Kabu pointed out, "On your journey, you will find something to help you. Kirby and Neo have great faith in you all. Now you must keep your faith with them."

"Thanks Kabu." Tiff said, as tears began to fill her eyes.

There wasn't much more to be said now. They knew where they needed to go, now they just had to get ready. The Boarders of the Badlands were about five days' hard ride to the east, and Felldersai? Well, for all they knew it could take two days, two weeks, or two months to reach that Gods forsaken prison.

The group left the clearing to make their way back to the Halberd to pack up and prepare for their next adventure. Meta Knight needed to leave his orders behind for his knaves to follow, should he and the rest return from the Badlands and Felldersai, they would need the Halberd to be ready for them.

Escargoon had decided to stay behind. He wasn't a warrior, besides, he'd only be a liability out there. Though he had tried to get King Dedede reconsider. On the way back to the warship, they passed by Tamoko and Rhego and explained the situation. Tamoko had to fight the lump forming in her throat, but she nodded.

"Very well," Tamoko said, "Before you leave, come and see me... all of you."

Rhego had begun speaking with Meta Knight, gesturing to the Emerald Nova, Dracara, standing behind him. Meta Knight said something in zwetoock, nodding. Since they couldn't risk taking any dragons with them to the badlands, the remaining ones had agreed to keep the refugees of Thea'or safe in the Crimson Woods, and had also agreed to assist in the reconstruction of the Halberd.

Garna had wanted to come as well, but, for the same reason as the dragons, she stayed behind. Not to mention, as Geoffrey had pointed out, she had been a huge help to them working from the background. Perhaps all she needed was just another base of operation.

"Don't worry about me, Geoffrey. Roaren and I will be alright." Garna mentioned, managing a weak smile, "We started from nothing in the first place, we can do it again."

"I know Garna, you're much stronger then you let on." Geoffrey sighed, running his hand through Roaren's thick fur, just the way he liked it.

Meanwhile, Kautounie faced her mother, her head bowed, "I will not fail you or her again!" she declared, "You will be proud to have me lead the Redsuns one day."

What was to await them in Felldersai? No one, not even Kabu or Tamoko could say for certain. One thing that was for sure, Kirby and Neo needed their family. The Demon may have won this battle today, but the war was only just beginning.

 **Author's Notes::** Dusk, the sly asshole survived being impaled by the Venomancer, but right now he's not in fighting shape. But what is to become of Kirby and Neo during their imprisonment within this hellhole? You'll have to wait... again. Meanwhile, Kautounie confesses her blunder to the rest of the team and is prepared to pay the highest cost. She is the one who spurred Nightmare forward by angering him, and only now does she truly see what she has done. Needless to say, Kautounie feels terrible. Yes, I'm a cruel and mean bitch, Zodiac is not coming back. He's dead. Just another reason to hate that bastard, Nightmare: Lets see, Murder (? counts), Arson, War Crimes, Wrongful Imprisonment, Environmental Destruction, Tyranny, Enslavement, Child Endangerment/Kidnapping, (Hey, remember what he did with Tiff to bait Kirby to him?), Mutilation, Torture, Scamming, and if this counts, Cheating at Chess.

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	36. A Flame from the Ashes

In You're Nightmares, A Flame from the Ashes

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Intent to Kick some Serious Ass.

'I now know what a mistake I have made, and for that sake of my family I will not make the same one twice. Now we all must pay the price, the highest price. But I swear upon my blood, spirit, and honor, with the Great Dragon and stars above as my witness, I shall free you both, little sister, or die trying! Before we leave, it has been requested that we at least attend a small funeral to honor the fallen and see their spirits safely to Sundar. Well, we've got to get ready anyway, it will do us no good trotting off into the Badlands half prepared. Besides, it is the least we can do for these poor souls. Worry not, Neo and Kirby, we are coming for you!'

The Thoughts of Kautounie Redsun

'This-this is beyond shocking. I knew war was harsh and ugly... but I'm beginning to understand why Sir Meta Knight has always been so distant. Seeing so many dead with your own eyes, it scars you for life. I'll never be able to unsee these things, like the mother holding her dead husband in her arms while her child cries out into the night. But this is also another reminder of why we're doing what we do. Why I chose the path of a star warrior. I have no idea what to expect in the Badlands, but if Kirby and Neo are there, then I'll go in after them... and no demon lord, undead, or monster will stand between me and my friends!'

The Thoughts of Tiff Ebrum

'A sight I have seen many times, on many planets. Cities leveled to rubble, orphaned children, dead mothers, dead fathers! Grrrrrr! Will this evil's thirst ever be slaked? No! Not when I get through with it. He took my son! Now he shall pay the highest price. Kirby, be brave and strong, my little warrior. Your father is coming for you!'

The Thoughts of Sir Meta Knight

'Last in line this time, huh? Doesn't really matter, I guess. Anyway, I'm without my second home, the Crimson Woods are a mess, and furthermore the boss lady is without a base of operation. But homes and possessions can be rebuilt and remade, the lives lost here this night cannot. Before we leave for a journey we may not come back from, all of us are attending a funeral for those who died in battle. I wouldn't dare say it out loud right now, but death in battle... it's the best way for a Redsun to go. Now then, Kautounie, Meta Knight, and the rest of the pack... we've all got a jail break to pull off. That son of a bitch Dusk better hope Meta Knight gets to him first, because I wont make it clean and easy!

The Thoughts of Geoffrey 'Redsun' Collins

'I-I don't know how long it has been, only that we've been trapped in here for what feels like an eternity. Kirby and myself have not been bothered by the Bloodtooths, not since they cast us in our cell and locked the door. It's dark and cold... that's all there is here. I pray you find us in time. I fear Dusk has terrible plans in store for us. Why else would he keep us alive? Please hurry...'

The Thoughts of Neo Redsun

*Crimson Woods*

It was morning by now and the snow had stopped falling and the clouds had cleared, yet no birds chirped and no animals foraged. The only sounds heard were that of the Redsuns howling as they sang their somber song to the disappearing stars above. All the dead Redsuns and their allies, along with Zodiac, The Golden Lord, had been placed upon a large pile of wood in Kabu's clearing, so they could be given a proper funeral. Once Tamoko had finished their chorus, Thexadrell and Dracara both made gestures with their hands, causing the form of their fallen brother to shimmer for a moment, then breathed their flames over the bonfire. A funeral by dragon's fire, the greatest honor of burial, reserved only for those who died in battle.

All the main crew aboard the Halberd had attended along with it's passengers, if even for a short while. Zwetoock funerals tended to be quick, as their grief quickly turned into a thirst for vengeance. Since the Halberd's crew and passengers were going to be staying here, they may as well get to know the Redsuns.

With a rumbling growl, Thexadrell and Dracara stepped back, bowing their heads in respect. While the bonfire burned, the Redsuns began to throw small objects into the fire; beads, jewels, colorful feathers, and knives of bone and steel to name a few before howling again. Kautounie took one feather out of her mane and tossed it on the burning pile and Geoffrey had taken a handful of gold dragons and silver shanks to throw on there. Even Garna had given up one of her jeweled daggers to show her respect. Following the example, Meta Knight had thrown something into the blaze, what it was, no one really saw.

"May Sundar's fire light their path to peace and eternal rest." Tamoko chanted.

She followed with some hand gestures, which were copied like clockwork by the rest of the Redsuns and Meta Knight, though were awkwardly imitated by their other guests. Now that the funeral was over, the dead were left to burn, and become part of the earth they had once walked upon.

 **IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~**

Once the service was over, Meta Knight led the team back to the Halberd. The horses were already saddled and ready and supplies had been packed, but there were some things that needed attending first before setting out. Tiff had already done her best to explain everything to her family. But there was no easy way to tell them that this may be the journey she wouldn't come back from. Tuff had offered to go with them, but was quickly held back by Sword and Blade. Even for experienced warriors like Sir Meta Knight, going into the Demon's Mouth was considered suicide.

Once that uncomfortable moment was dealt with, Meta Knight split off, so he could speak to Sword and Blade in private while the others checked their supplies. Escargoon was on the verge of tears, begging King Dedede not to go. Through all this, Kautounie remained quiet and relatively unresponsive, as she was deep in thought.

"Sir-captain, are-are you sure? Are you serious, sir?" Sword stammered, staring at his master.

"Dead serious!" Meta Knight growled sternly.

Sword and Blade glanced to each other, then to where Dracara and Thexadrell could be seen, the mighty red dragon's massive form looming over the treetops, while the sleek green dragon shifted her clawed feet on the fallen log she perched upon.

"It shall' e' done, milord!" Blade said.

While Meta Knight was busy making arrangements with his knaves, Garna and Roaren were hanging around by Geoffrey, Kautounie, and the others, trying to listen in on Meta Knight's conversation.

"What's going on?" Geoffrey muttered, slinging his sniper rifle on his back.

"Somethin' about the Halberd, I think." Roaren whispered.

"Meta Knight's telling his knaves that if he or any of you guys don't come back... to take the command of the Halberd basically." Garna sighed, earning quizzical looks from both Geoffrey and Roaren.

Damn did that girl have good ears.

"You heard all that just now?" King Dedede asked.

"How? They're whispering." Tiff muttered.

"What? I pay attention to these things." Garna groaned, "Why is it such a shock to everyone? Anyway, that's not what we're here for, Geoffrey. Before Thea'or was completely destroyed, I did manage to save a few things."

The guild mistress began digging through her long, leather coat's pockets. Inside, anyone watching could get a glimpse at a shiny object or three, then there was something that Tiff recognized; a small figurine of Meta Knight, the same one that was only available from those chocolate balls at Tuggle's Grocery Store. At all the curious looks Garna was getting, Geoffrey and Roaren quickly warned everyone to look away.

"It wasn't easy for her to get that, believe me." Roaren muttered to Tiff, "Look away and you wont get hurt."

"Ah, here it is! I was saving this for you as a birthday present, but I think you could use it now." Garna purred, "I hope it will make my best lieutenant's day just a little bit brighter. It was this... or... my painting of the Great Sir Arthur. I really hope he can forgive me."

"I'm sure he will, boss lady." Geoffrey snorted, calmly, "A noble sacrifice to be certain."

Out of her duster, Garna pulled out a massive handgun, bigger then the one Geoffrey normally carried. (Come to think of it, Tiff didn't think that was possible.) This was the sort of gun that looked as though it would break the halfling's wrist should she ever fire it. Geoffrey's jaw nearly hit the ground. From the handle to the barrel, this hand held cannon was at least eighteen inches long. Even better, Garna had been thoughtful enough to include a hunting scope and the ammunition. Wildly considered to be one of the most powerful handguns in the Galaxy, this certainly made Geoffrey's day a little bit brighter.

"My two idols... Smith and Wesson 500!" Geoffrey exclaimed, "I think I'll call it _Nivendethas,_ the zwetoock word for 'Avenger'. Thank you, Lady She-Wolf!"

Such a masterpiece of a weapon, the Galaxia of the gun world, if one were to go that far. The fact that Garna had sacrificed her favorite painting of her personal hero so that this beauty could be spared was a testament to it's true greatness.

"Specially modified of course with the finest enchantments Nightmare's cash could buy. It's a fantastic weapon, originating from that nowhere planet called Earth, but I've had it... conditioned," Garna snorted, "This thing will take a Dire Wolfwrath's head right off... no offense, Roaren."

"None taken." Roaren sighed, raising one paw into the air.

"So... where are you gonna go... now that your base is destroyed and all?" King Dedede asked.

"I'll think of something," Garna shrugged, "It'll have to be secret and secluded, somewhere no one else knows about... or at least no one else dares to enter."

Before she finished, Garna had trailed off deep in thought. By that time, Meta Knight had rejoined them, though his eyes visibly widened at the sight of Geoffrey's fine new weapon. Kautounie had even snapped from her brooding thoughts to admire the handgun. That would certainly be useful, not to mention, it was beyond gorgeous.

From the well worn forest path, Tamoko and Rhego could be seen, making their way towards the adventuring party to see them off. Pain was heavy in both their faces. They knew what had to be done, but that didn't make it any easier.

"Your majesties." Meta Knight said, bowing, followed by Garna, Roaren, and Tiff.

Geoffrey and Kautounie lightly bowed their heads to the Alpha pair, though King Dedede did not, which was understandable. Self proclaimed or not, he was still a king himself. Alphess Tamoko shifted her blind gaze to each in turn, eventually stopping at King Dedede.

"So this is the alpha you serve, Sir Meta Knight," Tamoko observed, reaching out with her hand to feel the King's shoulder.

King Dedede was confused, but he was advised by Meta Knight and Kautounie both to stay right where he was.

"Hmmmm... This is the one who long ago plagued his kingdom with the demons he now fights. Years ago, I would have said you could do better. But there is something else now, a spark of spirit." Tamoko observed, her milky blue gaze locking onto King Dedede's own blue eyes, "I see that there is fire and courage, the mark of a true alpha. My daughters and son have it too." she continued, "And there is strength! Hm... lots of strength to be certain."

Tamoko paused, then waved her staff in the air. There was a crackling flash of light, then levitating in front of Dreamland's King was a metal mask, dark silver in color with three curved gold spikes, one on each side, and one in the center like a crown.

"A crown fit for a king, Alpha Dedede." Tamoko explained, handing the king her gift, "When you first enter combat, put it on, and let it's power flow through you. If you are a true alpha, you will feel it's might." she added, in her gentle yet mysterious voice.

Rhego had also said something in zwetoock, that although King Dedede didn't understand, Meta Knight fought to suppress the smile forming under his armor. Something about how he could possibly be the alpha of the penguins and other flightless birds.

"W-wow... thank you... alphess, was it?" King Dedede stammered.

Well this came as a shock. Here he was thinking that Tamoko was groping him just to find where the easiest part to tear into was. Even Escargoon was in shock as well. Courage, she had said. What courage did she see in him? Obviously Tamoko knew something the snail didn't.

Next, Tamoko greeted Garna and Roaren, then Tiff. She remarked at how much the girl had grown in strength and how she had learned to take command of Wicked with such grace and ease. And a Blade Dancer no less, an art not many outside zwetoock packs could claim to know. Awkwardly fighting back her tears, Tiff thanked the alphess. Geoffrey of course, after holstering his new cannon, pulled his mother into a hug.

"We'll bring them both back, or die trying, mom." Geoffrey whispered in her ear, "Come on, dad, you too, get over here."

The Alphas savored each moment spent with their cubs and companions. For all they knew, this may have been the last time they would ever see them. Now it was Meta Knight's turn. Tamoko knelt down on the ground, then let her mate guide her hand to Meta Knight's shoulder guard.

"There is no greater gift you could ever give me, then the one I already have." Meta Knight sighed, "The cub that I thought I would never have." he finished, quoting that Alphess' previous words from the last time they had left the Crimson Woods.

Tamoko smiled gently, "You fight with the heart of a dragon, my friend. Your son is waiting for you."

"As is your daughter." Meta Knight said, placing his gloved hand on Tamoko's paw.

"The Bloodtooth may call you Untamed, Sir Meta Knight... but we, the Redsuns, call you Free." Tamoko whispered softly in Meta Knight's ear.

The old Alphess got to her feet. Now it was Kautounie's turn.

"I wont fail her, mother. I wont fail you." Kautounie promised, "Would you still have me be Alphess one day?"

Tamoko didn't say anything at first. She simply nodded. Before Kautounie was ready, her mother and father both put their arms around her, each one lightly licking their daughter's forehead.

"You are my daughter no matter what. Remember that wisdom is never free. One day, you shall be a greater Alphess then I." Tamoko claimed, "Do what you know in your heart is right, my cub." she added.

The Alphess took a single, multi colored feather out of her mane and waved her hand over it, creating several, glistening, arcane symbols, "Only two can know that spell, The Alphess of the Redsun, and The Alphess' rightful heir. It takes wisdom as well as strength to rule. Know that, and then you may cast the spell upon there, Kautounie, my daughter."

Kautounie stared at the spell written upon the feather in zwetoock rune. It wasn't difficult to put two and two together, especially once Thexadrell and Dracara had drifted over the trees to roost atop the mourned Halberd. Tamoko nodded once.

"Mother... I-I-I..." Kautounie stammered, quieting when Tamoko gently placed her hand over her daughter's muzzle.

"Child... I love you too, and Rhego, and Neo, and Geoffrey, more then anything else in this galaxy and beyond. Let the Grace of the Great Dragon guide you all to victory. This is not the end of the war, this is merely the beginning." Tamoko proclaimed, "Our time for grieving is over. The Dragon shall rise once again! Let the Dark One and his demons never forget our roar!"

Tamoko led the surrounding Redsuns in a very loud war cry as she raised her staff into the air and held her tail up high. Soon enough, the entire wood was filled with loud howls and barks. Now more then ever, the pack needed to rally together.

However, just when the traveling group turned to mount up on their horses, something else caught everyone's attention. The howls had done a good job covering up the electric zaps coming from within the Halberd, though Dracara and Thexadrell where quick to react. Next was the sound of claws scraping against steel and a grumbling voice cursing loudly.

"What the-?" Meta Knight growled, his eyes flashing red as he drew Galaxia.

Soon enough, a large, not to mention familiar, draconian form flew out the Halberd's open door. Now Meta Knight let out a very audible growl. This was the last person he wanted to see right now.

With a grunt, Dr. Knarks landed, albeit very clumsily, his wings flailing about wildly and his tail lashing. Kautounie and Geoffrey both tightened their grip on Diesel's and Gunner's reins as the horses snorted angrily and shifted their feet. Tiff just glared and narrowed her eyes, stroking Gyaroppu's muzzle. Just great, what did he want? Further more, how did he get here?

"Dr. Knarks, how did you get here?!" Meta Knight demanded.

"Hmph, there's a fine 'hello, how are you'..." Dr. Knarks snorted, "Through the Monster Transporter on your ship, obviously." he answered, "Holy shit do I need to get out of the lab more often. It's been at least thirty seven years since I last spread my wings!"

The next thing that caught his attention was the many sets of eyes landing on him and the rumbling growl coming from the large, male zwetoock standing just about six feet away from him. Tamoko Redsun managed to calm her mate with a soothing touch to his back, but she was not too quick to trust this new visitor.

"Now you... are easy to read... that's what troubles me! There is much blood on your hands, past, present, and future." Tamoko proclaimed, pointing her staff at Dr. Knarks, "You were corrupted long before Nightmare turned you. But there is something else I sense, a small glimmer of righteousness within a black heart and soul of withered shadows, perhaps."

"Ma'am, you flatter me." Dr. Knarks hissed.

"Mother... he's... an acquaintance. Without him, we probably wouldn't be here right now." Kautounie said at last, "Dr. Knarks, since your here in what's left of my home, I'd like to introduce you to my parents, Alphess Tamoko Redsun and Alpha Rhego Redsun."

Now that Dr. Knarks knew exactly who he was addressing, he dipped into a polite bow, spreading out his wings as he did so, "Forgive the mistake, your majesties."

Well, since he was here, may as well bring him to light about everything that had happened. Naturally Dr. Knarks had figured a fight of some sort had to have taken place. Thankfully for him, Nightmare's fleet had left Ravenwing Bog alone. (Though really, there's not much out there Nightmare would be interested in, at least nothing he knows of, anyway.) Kautounie and Geoffrey both explained about the dragons, to which Dr. Knarks at first thought they were joking, only to look over his shoulder and see Thexadrell and Dracara, roosting on the Halberd, as they were joined by a third dragon, a female Golden Moondancer, possibly Eclipse as she truly was.

Okay, so there really were dragons here. Now he knew he had better behave... or else. Though Dr. Knarks had to admit, he'd LOVE to have one of those in his laboratory. (Provided it cooperated, if not, those things would cause the maintenance bills to skyrocket out of control!)

"Dr. Knarks, are you even listening?!" Tiff snapped, growing irritated, very, very quickly the more he continued to stare at the dragons.

Finally, the mad doctor tore his gaze away, before the girl let loose one of her tirades. But of course once Kirby's and Neo's kidnapping was brought up, along with the demolition of Thea'or, things were about to get dicey... for Dr. Knarks, anyway.

"Thea'or? That idiot leveled the Free City?" Dr. Knarks balked, as Nasher scurried out of his pocket and onto his shoulder, "Then he attacked the Red Forest? And some say I'm mad! He might as well have painted a bright neon sign on his back just inviting the dragons to come tear him apart. My condolences to you, Alpha and Alphess Redsun of your loss here today." he finished, bowing again in respect; whether it was genuine or not, it would have been difficult to say.

"He just did, why do you think they're here... Knarksy," Garna growled, slipping out from behind Geoffrey and Tiff with Roaren, "And that's not all you need to know."

"Ooooohhhhhh... shit!" Dr. Knarks moaned, his voice filled with dread, "Miss Riverdale, what a pleasure."

Tamoko and Meta Knight both tensed up, knowing that at any second, a fight could break out between those two. Now Dr. Knarks and Nasher both shuddered, taking a step back. So far, any and all of their dealings had been from a distance over computers. Now the arch enemies were standing just a few feet away from each other. Roaren flattened his ears back against his head and growled, resulting in Nasher hissing loudly, leaping off his master's shoulder and swelling in size into his full, bipedal wererat form.

"Come on, puppy! You wolfwraths are overrated!" Nasher challenged, "Even you miniature ones!"

"Oh yeah?!" Roaren snarled, fire threatening to spill from his maw, "I think you'll make a nice throw rug for my mistress after I tan your hide!"

"There has been enough blood painted on the ground this day!" Tamoko warned, "I will have no more."

"Both of you... back away from each other." Meta Knight ordered, whipping Galaxia out, "Roaren, Nasher, you too!"

The only reason Garna and Roaren had obeyed Meta Knight was due to their respect for him and the Star Warriors. Dr. Knarks stepped away for fear of feeling Galaxia's sting again. He snapped his fingers, ordering the now massive wererat to his side. But while this square off was being quieted, the clockwork of Geoffrey's mind was at work, and Kautounie could tell.

"Geoffrey, I know that look." Kautounie muttered.

"I think the solution to Garna's problem just presented itself, or rather, himself too us." Geoffrey said, quietly.

"What? You can't be for real!" Tiff spat, "They'll kill each other the second our backs are turned! Even their pets can't stand each other..."

With Tamoko and Meta Knight as mediators, prepared to break up any fights before they started, Dr. Knarks continued, though in all fairness, he wasn't comfortable with the crowd of zwetoocks forming around them.

"Don't mind them." Tamoko growled, placing her hands on Rhego's shoulder for support.

"So spill it, why are you here?" Tiff asked, stroking Gyaroppu's muzzle.

"Why, I came with a gift for you, milady, and the lovely Redsun sisters, of course," Dr. Knarks sighed, "A pity the little dragoness is not with us, but perhaps with the spell I've prepared for you, you will have some extra help in claiming both Neo and Kirby from their captors." he finished, summoning a parchment scroll out in front of him and handing it to Tiff.

Tiff and Kautounie both examined the scroll. There was no mistaking, it was certainly a spell. By the looks of it, and variation of the spells Riley liked to use to summon demon beasts.

"Celestial Summoning? This was the one you were still working on, wasn't it?" Tiff asked.

"Indeed. Any of my completed celestial beasts that are fit for battle shall be called before you to fight on your behalf." Dr. Knarks explained, "And considering where you're going... it might be handy to have an extra set of claws or five on your side."

"He's right, Tiff." Kautounie admitted, "We are going to be dealing with Bloodtooths, we'll need all the help we can get."

"Wait a minute, now THEY'RE gonna be summonin' up monsters too!?" King Dedede questioned, holding his head while his mouth dropped open in surprise.

Dr. Knarks smiled beneath his mask, taking a step closer. He and King Dedede may have had a rocky start during their first meeting, but he couldn't leave a fellow fan of monsters in the dark. Especially a fellow fan that had dumped his most hated competition. Escargoon looked about ready to faint when the powerful draconian doctor loomed over King Dedede, his tail slowly swaying as he bent down, staring the penguinoid right in the eye.

"Sire... you might want to reconsider your whining." Escargoon muttered, once the draconian was only inches away from King Dedede's face.

"Your majesty... here's my card... call me." Dr. Knarks hissed gleefully, slipping a sturdy business card into the king's robes.

King Dedede smirked. This guy had monsters that actually worked, unlike someone else he knew. Not to mention he seemed nice enough. Meta Knight on the other hand didn't seem too pleased, though he kept his opinions to himself... for now. Though Garna was quick to bring Dr. Knarks back to the conversation again.

"Knarksy, I've been trying to tell you, when Nightmare's fleet totaled Thea'or, I lost my base of operations." Garna pointed out, bluntly, "Every moment I'm stuck here is a moment YOU'RE not getting Nightmare's money."

"What?!" Dr. Knarks and Nasher both asked in unison.

"You're funding's been cut, genius!" Roaren grunted, tilting his head with a sigh.

Now Dr. Knarks' red eyes went wide with fear. No, it just couldn't be happening. The atrocities of war were bad enough... but his precious funding? That was unforgivable. Nervously, the draconian flitted his wings while Nasher cowered behind his master's legs.

"But," Geoffrey interjected, "I have thought of a solution to both you're problems."

"Anything to stop these two from tearing each other apart." Meta Knight grunted.

Tiff still doubted Geoffrey's crazy idea, though Kautounie nodded her head in agreement. Even Tamoko smiled a little while her mate combed through her mane, while still keeping an eye on Garna and Dr. Knarks.

"The boss lady needs a place to stay and restart her operations. A place that's secret and secluded that Lord Nightmare doesn't know about. A place like yours, doctor," Geoffrey suggested, wincing a little at the looks he received from both Dr. Knarks and Garna, "Dr. Knarks, you need your funding to continue you're work, and your not getting it while Garna's standing here."

Meta Knight's head whipped around to face Geoffrey, his golden eyes wide, though at the same time, there was a brief flash of green and pink in there, "Geoffrey, are you insane?!"

"Yes, I am!" Geoffrey stated, like it had been obvious the entire time.

"I am NOT staying with him/her!" Dr. Knarks and Garna said in unison, each one pointing at the other.

Even King Dedede, having only known Garna and Dr. Knarks for a short time shook his head. This looked as though it could only lead to disaster... to the untrained eye, anyway.

"Garna needs a place to restart the Wolf Pack's operations, Dr. Knarks needs his funding. You better decide quick, because we've got to go!" Kautounie growled.

Garna and Dr. Knarks, along with Nasher and Roaren stared each other down again. Neither one seemed to like these arrangements. They didn't have to like each others' company, the two of them just needed to work together.

"Very well, Miss Riverdale. Just keep your dog on a leash!" Dr. Knarks grunted at last.

"For the sake of my friends, Kirby and Neo, I'm willing to work with you." Garna consigned at last, "Thanks... Dr. Knarks."

Wait a minute. Something wasn't right. Garna had actually addressed him as 'Dr. Knarks' instead of 'Knarksy'. This was a change. But one that wasn't going to last if the mad draconian knew Garna.

"I may have top notch computer systems, hardware, software, and a damn fine espresso recipe if I do say so myself, but if your computers were destroyed, how are you going to begin anew?" Dr. Knarks asked.

Garna only smiled, "You just let me worry about that. Dusk only thinks he got everything. And Sir Meta Knight, I'll make sure the Halberd remains safe, though Ol' Nightmare will probably think twice about attacking the Crimson Woods again, especially with those guys around." she said, pointing to the three dragons perched atop the Halberd.

Now that Garna's and Dr. Knarks' situation had been settled, those that were going to the Badlands mounted up on their respective horses. As usual, Meta Knight rode Gunner with Geoffrey and Tiff had Gyaroppu. Since King Dedede hadn't been with the group for very long, he was given the bay stallion that had been Knuckle Joe's until he upgraded to the gryphon. The bay in question, Kautounie had rechristened Merrick. Needless to say, watching the king try to get up on him was quite amusing. Rhego tilted his head, his mouth slightly open in shock. Meta Knight was even able to crack a smile when he heard Alpha Rhego mutter to Tamoko, _"What kind of an alpha cannot ride?"_ Finally, with a little help, King Dedede was eventually able to get up on Merrick's back and join with the rest of the team.

"Alright now you two, don't kill each other!" Kautounie ordered, pointing to Garna and Dr. Knarks before stepping up onto Diesel's back, "And keep an eye on your pets as well."

"I still don't think it's such a good idea putting them in the same room together." Tiff muttered.

"Yes, you're probably right, Tiff." Geoffrey agreed, quirking an eyebrow, "But it's too late now."

The entire Redsun Pack along with the Halberd's crew were there to see their companions off. What they were attempting was absolutely insane. It was all in with the odds stacked against them.

"Mom... thanks." was all Geoffrey was able to get out.

"Mother, father, I promise you this. I'll go into the Demon's Mouth, and I'll either return victorious with Neo, or not at all." Kautounie said, fighting back the tears that stung her eyes.

"My daughter... my princess..." Tamoko sighed, reaching up to Kautounie, "Trust your family... and trust in yourself."

Kautounie bent down and took her mothers hand in hers. Mother and daughter nuzzled each other, then Tamoko lightly licked Kautounie on the forehead.

"Meta Knight, Star Warriors, Redsuns." Thexadrell began, his commanding voice echoing throughout the woods, "Tales of your exploits here on Horva have already reached dragon ears. My brothers, sisters, and I send our blessings with you."

"Thank you, my friend." Meta Knight said, nodding his head.

After the final good-byes, the group set off down the eastern path; past Kabu's clearing and into the darkest part of the Great Red Forest. From there, they would find their way east to the Badlands. Geoffrey still had his Xtransiear, which would be essential to keep in touch with Garna, Dr. Knarks, and the Halberd. King Dedede looked over his shoulder, getting quite teary himself when he saw Escargoon bawling and his Waddle Dees atop the Halberd's deck, waving.

"Sire... please don't go!" Escargoon called, bursting into tears and looking away.

"Escargoon, your alpha has great strength and courage, you should be proud of him." Alphess Tamoko said, gently, "Even if he lacks grace." she muttered.

"Are we talking about the same king, here?" Escargoon sniffled, looking up to the Redsun Alphess and her mate.

Tamoko just quirked her eyeridge. There was always one who doubts.

"The Strength of the Great Dragon shall go with them. I have faith in my cubs, in my friend, Meta Knight, in all of them. Neo and Kirby, my cubs, be strong, you are not alone in your battle."

For once, Garna and Dr. Knarks stood together as allies rather then enemies as they watched their friends disappear into the red woods. Even Roaren and Nasher tolerated each others' company for the moment.

"My only regret is that I wont be the one snuffing Dusk's life. That bastard not only shot me, he shot my wolfwrath." Garna muttered, " Nobody shoots my wolfwrath. Nobody! Well, come on, don't just stand there, Knarksy. They've got a job to do and so do we!"

"I knew it would never last." Dr. Knarks sighed, running his clawed hand down the back of his neck while flexing his wings.

Before heading back to his own lair, new roommate in tow, Dr. Knarks, as a token of his good will, had offered his healing services as a doctor to the Alphess. Surprisingly, at least to him, she accepted. At Garna's disbelieving look, the draconian had justified himself with his usual fall-back line of, "I'm still a doctor!" Garna, meanwhile, now that she had a reliable place to start up again, was with Sword and Blade, surveying the damage to the Halberd. It wouldn't be easy to get everything they would need, but where there was Garna, there was a way.

Escargoon heaved a heavy sigh. Since his king had gone off on a suicide mission, he knew he needed to do more then sit around and think about it. As of yet, he hadn't been much use, save for his stunt a while back in Castle Dedede's dungeons. Escargoon glanced to the Halberd, then his eyes landed on Dr. Knarks. A mad doctor with experience in monster design and his own laboratory, it was just perfect. With narrowed eyes, he approached draconian.

"Excuse me doctor, since you seem in the spirits of taking on new roommates, how about letting this snail assist you in the lab!" Escargoon suggested, quite boldly, "I do have a few doctorates in Mad Science myself. Sadly they're all back home."

Dr. Knarks paused for a moment, turning his red gaze to face the snail.

"Hmmmm, well I do have an open position available... naturally I'll need to do a background check and look into your credentials," Dr. Knarks mused, as he stroked Nasher.

"What?" Nasher squeaked, "What position, boss? You never said nothin'-"

"Cool it, Nasher..." Dr. Knarks grumbled quietly, "Now then, Escargoon, just a quick question first. Do you have any prior experience with designing your own monsters and demon beasts or have you yourself been transmorphed at any time during your carrier?"

Escargoon paused for a moment. Sure enough, he did have prior experience with all of the above. Nervously, he answered, "Uh... yes... actually."

"Hmmmm... naturally I'll have to check into all the facts and come to a mutually beneficial decision on this delicate matter," Dr. Knarks sighed, "Oh who am I kidding? Welcome to the team, Dr. Escargoon!" he finished, holding out his gloved hand to shake.

This time, without flinching, Escargoon accepted, matching the mad draconian's own evil smile. Yes, Dr. Knarks may not have been entirely thrilled to have Garna, only the funding she provided, but already he was beginning to like the slippery snail. Not only that, Escargoon could also make sure Dr. Knarks and Garna didn't off each other ether.

Meanwhile, Tamoko's blind gaze continued to stare ahead to where Kautounie and Geoffrey had once been. Since she was the pack's strength, she had remained dignified. Yet deep down, there was no mistaking the pain she was going through. A single tear rolled down her cheek as her mate gently guided her away, nuzzling and speaking quietly to her. It was never an easy task for a mother to see her children off to war.

"A good mother never gives up on her children..."

 **IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~**

On the path out of the Crimson Woods, the team rode past Kabu, taking one last look at the massive totem. Tiff had to take a second look. Standing atop Kabu was the familiar red puffball in gold armor, Vol'drocken, silently looking down upon the group.

"Hey, what's-?" Tiff asked, looking back up to Kabu, only to find that Vol'drocken was gone.

"I saw him too, Tiff." Kautounie said, taking in a deep breath.

"There's got to be something more to him... but I can't place it." Meta Knight grunted.

Other then the sighting of their odd friend, most of the journey was quiet. More destruction could be spotted; snapped and burnt trees, dead grass, and several dead bodies of Nightmare Occultists and Bloodtooths that had been providing a nice feast for the ravens and crows. A gruesome sight, but nothing compared to the horrors that were to await them in the Badlands.

At the forest's edge, the team came to a halt. They were looking out to a flat, snow covered field with an overgrown, unused dirt road. Scattered about were some pieces of wreckage from the battle that raged earlier during the night. In the far distance were sharp, jagged mountains, many of which were shrouded by dark, wispy gray clouds. There was evil there that did not sleep. It was a land of stone and ice.

"I do not ask any of you to come with me." Kautounie said, looking back to the rest of her companions.

"You don't need too." Meta Knight grunted, "I'd go to the Gates of Hell itself to save my son!"

"Kautounie, I'm not changing my mind either! Two of my best friends are in that prison and I'm not leaving until they're rescued!" Tiff added, sternly.

"I've made up my mind too!" King Dedede snorted, "It's time Nightmare knew just what sort of king he's been messin' with!"

"Face it, Kautounie... we're all going!" Geoffrey finished, "There's no turning back for any of us! Nightmare shall hear our roar, and he will know just what we are capable of!"

Kautounie smiled, feeling her confidence return. She shouted up to the sky in the zwetoock tongue, _"With the Sun, Moon, and Stars above as our witnesses, the Dragon shall enter the Demon's Mouth, and emerge victorious! Sundar, light our path to victory by your holy fire!"_

Diesel reared up and neighed loudly, then galloped forward, followed by Gunner and Gyaroppu.

"Hey, how do ya start these things?" King Dedede asked, having a difficult time getting Merrick to run, "Come on, charge forward! I command it!"

Tiff just smiled, turning her own horse around with ease, then gave a sharp whistle. Sure enough, that got Merrick going, though the king with his lack of horsemanship nearly slipped right off and onto the cold ground below.

"You is tellin' me that this is how you travel round these parts?!" King Dedede shouted.

"It's really not so bad once you get used to it." Meta Knight called back, having already settled comfortably on Gunner's back behind Geoffrey.

Off at last to the Badlands. It would be a long journey, five days ride just to reach the boarders, but one that must be done. They were obviously riding straight into a trap, but so far, that's been working out for them. While they rode, Tiff couldn't help but notice that the Star Piece in her pocket began to glow more brightly the closer to Bloodtooth territory they got. Perhaps they would find more then just their friends in this barren wasteland. A small, hopeful smile crossed the girl's face.

"Hang on, Kirby... your friends... your father... are coming!"

*Felldersai Taa*

It had now been five days since Dusk had been stabbed with Venomancer and Kirby and Neo were ripped from their family to be imprisoned within Felldersai Taa. Although still weak from the draining effects of the poison, the gray batamon, with the aid of Miachang's necromancy, had been mending well. He sat on the edge of his bed, taking a moment to catch his breath. Dusk couldn't wait any longer. He needed to be there to oversee the new "training" he and Prince Zorra had in mind for "his son". After all, if Dusk couldn't deliver the goods and collect his payment right away, best to keep the prisoners busy, rather then let them sit in the dark and think up plans for escape. Besides, Dusk's Monster Transporter unit was only half built, anyway.

Miachang was at Dusk's side, urging him to reconsider his decision and go back to sleep. Dusk's wound was still bandaged up, but despite this, he ignored the Bloodtooth Princess' advice and got to his feet. The gray batamon groaned in pain, holding onto his side.

"Gray One, the poison has been cleansed, but your wound may open again." Miachang warned, "Lay down and rest."

"No, not this time, your highness... I've got... to see... how our guests... are doing..." Dusk groaned.

Miachang knelt down to Dusk's level to help support him. Just as Dusk reached for his cape and armor, the loud creak of the doors opening and someone entering the room quickly grabbed their attention. There was one male occultist, who was of the same race as Tiff, actually. He was dressed exceptionally finely and was accompanied by two demon beasts, one hell hound and one large, centipede-like monster. Dusk forced a smile, recognizing the man he had sent for; the head of the prison guards.

"Dusk, sir." the occultist said, "You summoned me?"

"Captain Reginald," Dusk began, "Tell me, how is my son and the little dragon faring?"

Reginald proudly stepped forward, an evil smirk on his face, "Milord, for every day you lay injured was a day their rations were withheld!"

Dusk's orange eyes narrowed, but he kept his cool. Unexpectedly, he smiled again, beckoning for the guard to come closer. Miachang glanced to Dusk's bedside table, (More importantly, what was on it,) then backed away, already weaving some sorcery while she did.

"This is Felldersai Taa, Milord, there's a reputation to keep up. I'm sure near a week without any food or water will have taught the prisoners a valuable lesson!"

"Captain... Captain Reginald..." Dusk sighed, as he reached for the Venomancer dagger still on his bedside table.

Before the Captain of the Guard knew what hit him, Dusk thrust the venomous dagger right into Reginald's gut. The effects were instantaneous. Reginald coughed violently, right before screaming in agony as the poison flowed throughout his body.

"I was nearly burned by dragons, I was shot down by the Halberd, and almost died by the hands of a girl who should have been dead! I did NOT go through the trouble of taking those cubs alive just so that YOU could STARVE THEM TO DEATH IN THEIR CAGE!" Dusk shouted, ripping Venomancer out of Reginald and allowing him to fall to the floor, "Your neglect could have cost me a lot of money! Kirby and Neo are worth nothing to me if they're dead! You on the other hand..."

The hell hound and centipede monster did nothing to help their dying master. They just let him writhe in pain from the deadly poison. Miachang hissed, spreading a pulse of dark energy over the doomed occultist.

"You! Take him too my den... I'll find a use for him." Miachang growled at the centipede monster once Reginald's life had been snuffed.

"And you, my four-legged friend, see to it that our guests are checked up on and fed." Dusk added, wincing slightly as he slipped his shoulder guards on, "And get a clean up crew in here, I just had these floors redone... also, alert His Grace. We need to inform him that I have just rooted out and slain a Star Warrior Spy."

While the centipede fiend left to do Miachang's bidding, the hell hound stared at Dusk, wide-eyed. The first two commands, yes, that was simple enough, but the third...?

"Master Dusk... Reginald wasn't a Star Warrior Spy, he was always a loyal-oh...OH!" the Hell Hound whimpered, lowering his ears and taking a step back fearfully as Dusk's orange gaze stared right back at him, warning him to just shut up up now or else, "R-right away."

Miachang gave Dusk a filthy, though at the same time, questioning look once the centipede and hell hound left.

"Reginald was no Star Warrior Spy." Miachang snorted, "He could hardly be called a warrior of any sort!"

"Your highness, this is what we at Nightmare Enterprises call a lie." Dusk sighed, reaching for the half smoked cigarette lingering in the ashtray on his bedside table.

The two of them paused again once two all too familiar forms sifted through the walls, snorting and laughing.

"Oh Dusk... the way you manage to squirm and B.S. your way around Holy Nightmare and that c*** of his..." Gerard snickered, placing his hand on Alpha Balor's head, "I love it... reminds me of me. Sometimes I miss living."

"Ahem, yes. Well, something we can both agree on for once," Dusk groaned, referring to Gerard's choice of unflattering words to describe Riley, "A pleasure as always... asshole..." he grumbled, placing both Venomancer and Winterclaw on his belt, "Honestly man, cover those things up!" Dusk added, gesturing to the still bleeding, open wounds Gerard bore as he and Miachang left his chambers.

Gerard just looked down to the hole in his chest, reminding himself why he hated the living so much. It's why he became an assassin in the first place. Balor grinned up to him, his red eyes glowing brightly in the dark room. Perhaps they could have some fun once Dusk was through with the prisoners. It was high time Gerard was introduced to his son's little sister and cuddly pink friend.

*Down in the Dungeons*

Being shut in a cold, dark, filthy dungeon cell was bad enough, but five days without any bite of food nor sip of water could take it's toll on even the most hardy. Though in reality, the occupants cuddled up and shivering together in the corner of their tiny cell had no way of knowing how much time had even passed. In the dark, day or night had no place, no meaning. All this time, no one had come to check on them, not even just to taunt and humiliate them, and both bore untreated wounds that had become infected due to the unsanitary conditions. Due to the malnourishment and neglect both captives suffered, they had lost a lot of weight. For the longest time, it felt like they would both die in here, until...

"Po...yoooo..." Kirby moaned, flinching and shielding his eyes from the dim light that had suddenly turned on without any warning.

Having been in complete blackness for so long, even faded, dim light was painful and it would take some adjusting. Neo, who had been in a fitful sleep, woke up, immediately feeling disoriented and even a little nauseous from lack of food and dehydration. Her unfocused eyes darted around the small cell, though she could hardly move. Kirby had rolled out of the young zwetoock's arms and sat on the ground beside her.

"Kirby? Are... are you-?" Neo was cut off once the cell door was opened.

She braced herself against the wall, using it to support her as she sat up. Kirby had to do the same, as he could hardly stand. Both captives groaned against the painful light shining in their eyes. The two of them were greeted by some cruel laughter as two human occultists and one Bloodtooth male stepped inside. Kirby had attempted to start up his inhale, but all he could do was open his mouth, then collapse and close his eyes.

"Poyo... not... weak..." Kirby shuddered, straining to get back to his feet.

Neo had tried casting one of her spells, only to find that nothing was working. She glanced down to her new jewelry, noticing how the ruby in the center of the medallion became brighter with every attempted spell cast. Hmph, it figured, wyrmrot was expensive, not to mention rare, so they had devised a cursed shackle to absorb her sorcery. Clever, and Neo cursed them for it, too.

"Oh yes, you little ones still have some fight in you." one of the occultists snorted as he kicked Kirby into the back wall.

The pink warrior let out a startled yelp as he tried to stand, only to be grabbed by rough hands as they started smearing some sort of ointment into his wounds, careless of the amount of stinging and pain they caused him. Kirby couldn't hold it in any longer. He whimpered fearfully, only exciting his tormentors more. Neo, after watching the display, wasn't at all afraid to let her disgust known, "L-leave him alone, you bastards! Those... wounds are infected, t-they need to be sterilized with mothberry first! What kind of healers are you?!"

"We ain't healers, little princess!" grumbled the other occultist as he and the Bloodtooth rounded on Neo to give her the same treatment, "So why don't you just lie back so we can play doctor, okay?"

Since she couldn't cast any spells, Neo turned to a more primitive method of self defense; biting. Her ears flattened against her skull as her fangs tore the human occultist's flesh off, causing him to cry out in pain. Having not been fed for five days, the human's blood was tasting pretty good right about now. REALLY good! Neo licked the crimson liquid off her chops, savoring the sweet, metallic taste. She wanted more. But before Neo could attack again, the Bloodtooth backhanded her, sending her to the floor. He then stooped over her sniffing deeply, with a look of intent on his face.

"Neo... poyo!" Kirby cried out, struggling in his tormentor's grasp as he tried to reach Neo when he heard her scream.

"Don't you worry, little one, you're father's gonna be down to check on ya." the occultist mocked, and by the tone of his voice, he was not referring to Meta Knight.

"Medi Kni! Medi Kni is Kaabii's!" Kirby growled, "Not Dusk. Never Dusk!"

"Now that's no way to talk about your daddy, get over here!"

Neo and Kirby were both manhandled and humiliated while their injuries were being "treated". In the end, once their captors grew bored of verbal abuse, they slapped on some crude bandages and left. Kirby couldn't hold it in any longer. The dirty stone beneath him became wet with his tears as he gazed at the door. When he heard Neo crying as well, Kirby dragged himself to where the furball huddled on the ground, pulling her arms around her knees.

"Poyo... Neo? What-?" Kirby began, reaching out with his small, pink hand

"You don't want to know, my little friend." Neo choked out.

The two sat together in an attempt to comfort one another, using each others' body heat for warmth.

"Poyo... strong, Neo, remember?" Kirby asked, running his stubby hand through Neo's fur.

She relaxed, if only a little, as Kirby groomed the caked up dirt and filth out of her fur. It was the first thing that truly felt good since they had come to this place. In return, Neo lightly stroked Kirby's shoulders, whispering gentle, soothing words in the zwetoock tongue. However, their bonding time was cut short when the door opened up again, and two trays were slid inside.

"There's your chow!" snapped a harsh voice, right before the cell door was slammed shut yet again.

Neo and Kirby took a look at the trays, their stomachs growling deeply. One had a small bowl of pasty gruel and a loaf of stale bread, while the other had a chunk of raw meat on it, (what kind, Neo wasn't too sure), along with a cup of water for each of them.

Cautiously, Neo sniffed at the meat, which was obviously meant for her. It smelled somewhat bitter, not like the sweet, hardy sent of a freshly killed bugbear. She licked it once, making a rather disgusted face. Some sort of mystery road kill, perhaps. Kirby took a taste of his meal and after a single lick, pushed it away. Not only was it cold, it had the taste of cardboard... cardboard that had been in a landfill for a month, that was.

"Poyo..." Kirby moaned.

The two of them stared at what could jokingly be called "food" for about ten minutes, resigned not to give in to their growing hunger, despite their malnourishment. Who knows what has been done to it? It could be laced with drugs or poison. Finally, after thirty minutes and listening to their stomachs growl for the umpteenth time, Neo and Kirby had no choice but to eat the unfit meals.

Kirby took a small sip of water, finding it to be bitter and even a little sour, with silt in it as well, "Poyo, Neo... lake?" he asked, pointing to the cup.

At his gestures, Neo managed a weak smile as Kirby demonstrated his guess of where their water came from. Yes, they had both seen Wight Lake while trying to find their way out before their second capture.

"That's what it looks like, Kirby." Neo sighed, "Come on, we better eat it. Bad food is better then no food. We'll need our strength. Besides, it's not likely we'll get any better in here."

Their food was easier to choke down once they had wet their mouths with water. Though Neo had come to the conclusion that if the torture they were to endure didn't kill them, this food would. Not to mention, she and Kautounie could hardly make any more jokes about Chef Kawasaki's cooking behind his back anymore.

"Poyo... just want daddy, Tiff, Kauto, and Geoff back." Kirby sighed, swallowing his last crust of bread.

"They will come for us. Family does not abandon each other." Neo said.

Once the two of them finished, they settled back in the corner. It may not have been very good food, but at least it wasn't quite so painful anymore with a full stomach. Kirby had climbed into Neo's arms, falling asleep against the warmth of her soft fur. Neo gently licked him once on the forehead. She managed a smile when she felt Kirby nestle closer. Yes, they were each others strength.

But once again, bonding time was interrupted when the cell door flung open. This time, instead of lowly guards looking for cheap sport, it was Dusk, accompanied by Miachang and Zorra, along with a small group of their Bloodtooths and demon beasts. Of all things, the first thing Neo noticed was how physically weak Dusk was at this point, not to mention the fact that one hand was holding onto his bandaged side where Venomancer had struck.

"Ah, good job, my little dragon," Dusk praised as he entered the cell, "I see you've been taking excellent care of my son. Enjoying your stay, thus far?"

Neo only leveled a glare to the bounty hunter while Kirby shifted in her arms.

"Poyo... Kaabii not your son! Medi Kni's!" Kirby growled.

"Oh, that attitude will have to change right now, my little warrior." Dusk purred, running his gauntleted hand over Kirby's head.

Kirby shivered and closed his eyes, pressing against Neo, moaning softly.

"Guards, please." Dusk ordered, pointing to the prisoners.

They separated Kirby and Neo to restrain the two of them. Kirby let out a small yelp as his small hands were tied behind his back. The young star warrior glared at Dusk; 'little warrior' was Meta Knight's special name for him! Not to mention he noticed that Dusk had not only claimed Venomancer as his own, he also had Winterclaw. Kirby cried out again. That sword was a gift to him from the Alphess Tamoko! How dare Dusk parade it around like a trophy. Neo let out an angry snarl, only to be quieted by the brute that restrained her.

"What's going on?!" Neo asked as a pair of manacles were placed around her hands.

"You'll see soon enough." Dusk sighed, stroking the hilt of Winterclaw, right where he knew Kirby could see it.

Kirby was roughly handed back to Neo, though she had a little trouble finding a way to comfortably carry the little batamon with the short chain connecting her shackles together. Dusk and the Bloodtooth royalty led the way, while two demon beasts stood on either side of Neo grabbed her by each shoulder to lead her out of the cell. She didn't say anything, even when she was handled roughly. Kirby looked up to her, shaking in his friend's arms. They had no idea where they were being taken, but whatever was to come, they would get through it, together.

 **Author's Notes::** So, the new team is together and getting ready to traverse the harsh, unforgiving Bloodtooth Territory. Geoffrey gets a new weapon to try out and King Dedede is added to the roster. For the king's upgraded weaponry, I decided to go with his steel mask fro KSSU. And I'll admit it right now, I LOVED writing Garna and Dr, Knarks together. Kind of like mixing water with oil, you know. Second, I also liked writing Escargoon and Dr. Knarks together. Oddly enough, I could see those two getting along, since, in the Japanese version of the Anime, Escargoon is referred as a doctor himself, so I thought it fitting. Plus he's made things like that red juice that turns ordinary animals into demon beasts, if only temporarily. Dr. Knarks does respect fellow mad scientists.

Moving on, Geoffrey puzzled out both Garna's and Dr. Knarks' problem. Meanwhile, Meta Knight had labeled Geoffrey certifiably insane. How are the nutcases gonna handle this hurdle? Hahaha... oh I'm so sadistic and cruel. No, I mean that. Poor Kirby and Neo are in for a world of cruelty and torture. I actually disturbed myself a little while writing it, plus there's fair warning at the top of every chapter. It's going to get graphic. For some strange, twisted reason, I do kind of enjoy writing torture. Besides, this is a horrible prison fortress run by the Tyrant of the Universe. Put the pieces together. By the way, what that Bloodtooth was doing with Neo... NO, he did not... do THAT... but he was making her very uncomfortable. Poor little guys... where are they being taken too?

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	37. The Land of Ice and Stone

In Your Nightmares, The Land of Ice and Stone

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Horrendous Torture Sequences.

'An eye for an eye. I wonder if this is what Vol'drocken was talking about. He did warn us that Nightmare was stronger then before. But so is Kirby! We're all in this together, each one of us protecting the other. I know I should have done more for you, Kirby. I'm not going to fail, and I'm not going to be weak. Just hang in there.'

The Thoughts of Tiff Ebrum

'We've finally made it... the Boarders of the Badlands. Gods know what horrors await us in there... but I am not afraid. No demon, devil, or monster will keep me from reaching my sister. Often at night, I find myself gazing at the feather my mother gave to me... more importantly, the spell written upon it. I've tried casting it, but it was no use. Perhaps I'm not worthy of the magic, or I might have yet to redeem myself for what I have done. Anyway, at least Tiff and I have Dr. Knarks' spell to try out. Odds are good we'll be needing it sooner then later.'

The Thoughts of Kautounie Redsun

'Here I was thinkin' that red forest back there was a bit creepy, this place is downright scary! Kautounie had said somethin' about evil that doesn't sleep or somethin' like that. I'm beginin' to think maybe Escargoon was right. This is even scarier then that haunted house Nightmare Enterprises scared up! No, no, what am I sayin'? That Alphess Redsun had said I was brave and had courage, a true king. Well I am King of Dreamland, and I intend to take back my kingdom! But first I gotta make it through here.'

The Thoughts of King Dedede

'What? It's called 'The Badlands' for a reason! Nothing but rock, dirt, dead trees, snow, and ice from where we stand. There wasn't really anything noteworthy on the way here, not even a single demon beast that we could see. Just snow, and lots of it. But we can't let that lull us into a false sense of security. As soon as those Bloodtooths so much as get a whiff of Redsuns and Star Warriors, they'll be all over us. Good thing my birthday present from the boss lady came early this year! No point in putting sugar on the shit and calling it candy. Time to dive in and kick ass!"

The Thoughts of Geoffrey 'Redsun' Collins

'I have given my crew their orders, they know what to do in my absence. With Dr. Knarks' and Garna's help, I know they'll have the Halberd flying again... just so long as those two don't kill each other. I still have no idea what Geoffrey was thinking. But I suppose if Tiff and King Dedede can work together then anything is possible. Right now, I'm needed here. They all know now, about my choice to take Kirby as my son, and to be fair, I probably should have told them all sooner, though certain ones had already guessed. Throughout this journey, I have missed Kirby's company. Every time I sit down to rest, I look over and expect to see my little warrior cuddle up next to me or use my cape for a blanket. Hmhm, Kirby does adore my cape, even though he has his own now... or at least had his own. Sometimes you just don't know what you have until it's gone. Though there's something else... Kabu mentioned that there would be something to help us in this land of ice and stone. What, he didn't say. All of us must keep vigilant.'

The Thoughts of Sir Meta Knight

'We're-we're being taken from our cell. Where too, I have no... idea. I just can't fathom why Dusk hasn't just turned us over to Nightmare already. But whatever these monsters intend to do with us, I know it can't be anything good. I-I-I'm ashamed to admit... that I'm frightened. I don't want to die in here. Kirby has been my strength ever since we were sentenced to our cruel fate at the hands of our captors. I fear what they are going to do to him."

The Thoughts of Neo Redsun

'Poyo... Kaabii just...just want daddy and Tiff right now. Dusk... poyo... call me his son now. Why? Then why does he do... horrible... poyo... mean things to me and Neo? Kaabii will be strong, daddy, Medi Kni. Kaabii will protect Neo. Even with no armor, no sword... poyo... Kaabii is still a knight... though also still afraid.'

The Thoughts of Kirby

*Felldersai Taa, Dungeons*

Neo and Kirby were pushed along through the prison labyrinth behind Dusk and the lead Bloodtooth pair. All the while, their imagination and fear was starting to take over, even more so after watching some poor soul get dragged into a torture chamber they passed along the way to wherever it was they were being taken. The screams that echoed through the halls frightened Neo enough to make her flinch a little. She hugged Kirby close to her, as best she could with shackled hands.

"Keep moving, Redsun dog!" grunted one of the demon beasts guiding her.

Neo yelped a little when she was shoved forward, causing her to stumble. Due to her wounds and lack of proper care, the young Redsun collapsed to the floor. She twisted around just in time to make sure that she took the brunt of the fall and that Kirby didn't get hurt as bad. When she landed, the little cub didn't realize right away that Kirby had rolled out of her arms. Neo lay there on the filthy floor for a moment, breathing heavily. Tears rolled down Kirby's face as he struggled to free himself from his bonds so he could help his friend.

"Poyo... Neo!" Kirby chirped.

As Neo was forced back to her feet by her guards, Dusk and the Bloodtooth royalty had turned around to see just what was going on. Kirby began to tremble violently, pushing himself with his feet in a feeble attempt to get away from Dusk. Meanwhile, Zorra inspected Neo, turning her from side to side, eventually deciding that she was fine before giving a minor warning to the guards not to, in his words, 'start the party early.'

"Oh... what's the matter, my little cub?" Dusk asked in a frighteningly gentle tone of voice as he reached out to Kirby with his hand.

Never before had Kirby felt so ill. Every time Dusk laid his hands upon him, it sent shivers throughout Kirby's entire body.

"Poyo... no... Medi Kni..." Kirby whimpered, closing his eyes.

"You forget. There's no 'Medi Kni' for you here, not yet, anyway." Dusk chuckled, "I'm daddy now... can't you say it? You've learned to speak considerably better then the last time I saw you, my little warrior."

Kirby only shook his head no, causing Dusk to sigh. Very well. Miachang picked Kirby up off the ground and handed the restrained warrior back to Neo. She snapped her jaws just about and inch away from Neo's face before turning around to continue.

"Kirby... are you alright?" Neo whispered, earning an angry look from one of her guards.

The little puffball in her arms swallowed dryly and nodded once. They were forced on a little further, coming to a large room that had the barred door left open. Neo and Kirby both felt their stomachs churn. It was a torture chamber, that much was for certain. The room was filled was various devices designed for inflicting pain. Along the left hand wall was a rack lined with different sorts of knives and whips, each one looking progressively more and more painful. Chains with thick, leather shackles hung from the ceiling and on the walls. Against the back wall, past the instruments of torture, was a small pit, sort of like the fighting pits Garna had back in her night club, just much less cheerful and without any safety precautions. The floors were dotted with drains, many of which still had blood slowly flowing into them.

Neo gasped in horror and Kirby buried himself into her fur, shutting his eyes and shivering. The smell alone made him want to throw up. All the while, their hearts began to race.

"Prince Zorra and I thought you little ones might like to get out of your cage for a while," Dusk began, motioning to the guards to bring Kirby and Neo closer to the pit.

Now that they were closer, Neo and Kirby both saw the other zwetoock that was restrained by a set of manacles attached to the wall behind him, keeping him immobile. He must have been one of those zwetoocks Neo and Kirby saw the day they were first being dragged inside. The poor creature was obviously neglected, as he was nothing more then skin and bone. Wildly, he bit at his bonds in frustration, doing more damage to himself then anything else. It was now Neo could see that he no longer had his claws. They must have only just been removed, as the finger tips were caked with freshly dried blood.

"What is this?!" Neo gasped in pure, and utter disgust.

"You'll see." Dusk snorted as Miachang took Kirby from Neo's arms and motioned for the demon beasts to chain up the Redsun cub where Kirby could clearly see her.

Kirby could only watch helplessly as Neo was restrained by her wrists and ankles. The chains were hoisted in such a way as to make movement near impossible. Already the tight bonds were causing a painful strain in Neo's muscles. To make matters worse, two of the other male Bloodtooths, including the one that had 'helped' with bandaging her up earlier that day, began to sniff around the restrained cub, paw and feel her, savoring the moments that were sure to come.

"Poyo... Neo... let Neo go!" Kirby demanded, struggling to free himself from his own bonds.

"No, you're going over here, little one." Dusk directed, taking the bound Star Warrior into the pit where the other zwetoock was restrained with Zorra, "Don't you worry, Neo's still going to be able to watch over you."

"Kirby, whatever it is they want you to do, don't do it! Don't give in!" Neo shouted.

She was quieted by a rough paw being placed around her mouth. Satisfied, Dusk and Zorra continued, while Miachang watched from the edge of the pit, off to the side, so that Kirby could still get a good look at Neo.

Kirby cried out, shrinking back fearfully when Zorra approached him holding a sharp bone knife. The Bloodtooth Prince said something that Kirby couldn't understand, then, against the little pink puffball's expectations, used the knife to cut his bonds. Kirby stayed very still for a moment, unsure of what was going on. By now, the amount of people in the pit was causing the chained zwetoock that was already in there to yip and bay in a frenzy.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, his voice shaking with fright.

Dusk placed his hand on Kirby's head, lightly stroking the child, then Zorra began barking and snapping at Kirby, pointing at the chained prisoner just six feet or so away from the baby star warrior. He grew irritated when Kirby didn't obey his commands, eventually snapping his jaws and even taking a swipe at Kirby with his paw.

"Easy, your highness! Kirby doesn't speak nor understand the language of the zwetoocks. He has enough trouble speaking in the common tongue!" Dusk said, inserting himself between the upset prince and his prisoner.

Prince Zorra stopped his attack and backed away, though he was still unhappy. Shaking uncontrollably, Kirby looked up to his captor, confused and frightened.

"What my friend was trying to say, was that so far in your young life, little star, is that you've only ever taken life in self defense." Dusk translated, "Demon beasts to be exact, soulless monsters born and bred for war."

Nervously, Kirby nodded. Yes, Meta Knight had trained him to fight, and to fight well, but only when he had too. He was still taught not to take life meaninglessly, as that was not the way of a Knight of the Galaxy Soldier Army.

"Well, that's going to change," Dusk growled, his voice hardening, "You see that poor, helpless wretch over there? Guess what? You're going to kill him. But not right away. Prince Zorra's going to be teaching you how to torture a victim for a while, first." he explained, pointing to the restrained zwetoock.

Kirby could not believe what he was hearing. These monsters were going to have HIM torture some helpless prisoner? That sick feeling was creeping back inside, this time causing Kirby to have a physical reaction.

"Po-yo... No! Medi Kni would never do such thing... neither will Kaabii!" Kirby started, looking up too Dusk with defiance and anger.

"He's just a Stargazer, Kirby. You don't know him, why should you care? Stargazers are wild barbarians, crossing Horva on horseback, raiding towns, stealing supplies and enslaving so-called, innocent people. Why, if we let this dog off his chains, he'd probably just assume attack you too." Dusk explained, "And did I forget to mention that if you refuse or resist in any way... then she will pay the price with her flesh and blood for your mistakes!" he finished, pointing to Neo.

"Kirby... KIRBY, he lies! The Stargazers-!" Neo shouted, before she was silenced by her guards.

Now it was all beginning to make sense. Kirby felt his heart beat faster, even more so as Zorra handed him a small knife. Either Neo got hurt if he refused, or if he did bow to their commands, he'd go against everything his father and mentor had taught him. See his one friend in this horrible place in pain or betray his father. Those were his choices. Either way, he lost. Tears flowed down Kirby's blushed cheeks as he gazed at his helpless friend. Zorra began yipping and barking, to which Dusk translated.

"It's either going to be this Stargazer rebel you've never met, or sweet, little Neo, who has been taking care of you since your arrival to Felldersai. In the end, one of them shall be hurt by your hand," Dusk purred in Kirby's ear, "Which one shall it be?"

How could Kirby be asked to make this choice? He glanced back to the Stargazer in the pit, who gazed back at the smaller warrior, his sullen, brown eyes pleading for mercy, then back to Neo, who was his friend.

"Kirby, don't do it! Don't bow to their will! It's not worth undoing everything you've been taught!" Neo screamed, "You're a Star Warrior, Kirby! It is not by your hand that I would endure pain, but theirs! Don't do it!"

Kirby shakily started forward to where Zorra stood, all the while Neo's screams echoed in his ears. He felt very weak and had a hard time walking. His eyes occasionally darted to Winterclaw, which Dusk still had by his side. Yet, his captors had given him a weapon, willingly. It was a small blade, but as he knew all too well, even a small blade could contain a sword beam, if he could just gather the strength for it.

Zorra stooped over Kirby expectantly, pointing to the chained up Stargazer. Kirby shook his head, taking a step back.

"No, not what Medi Kni would do!" Kirby chided.

He jumped when he heard Neo scream in pain. Kirby couldn't be too sure what had just been done to her, but it was quite clear that they were hurting her.

"See? Look at what you did to her." Dusk scolded.

"Poyo..." Kirby nodded sadly.

"KIRBY! Don't give in. This is what they want. Don't give them what they want!" Neo howled, "Be strong, Kirby!"

Now Kirby glared up at Dusk, holding his knife tightly in his hand. Zorra's orders feel on deaf ears as Kirby prepared himself. He may have been weak, but he would put that knife given to him to good use.

"Well? What are-SHIT!" Dusk shouted, ducking when a sword beam came flying his way.

The crescent shaped blade of light was considerably smaller and weaker compared to the sword beams Kirby had preformed in the past, though it did take out one of Neo's demon beast guards and had destroyed a few torture devices before fading away. Even though the attack missed it's intended target, when Dusk moved to avoid it, he had reopened his previous injury, as his bandages were quickly turning red.

Kirby had also become considerably weaker after using the sword beam. It drained what energy he had left, causing him to collapse to the cold, stone floor. Before he could move, Zorra roughly grabbed the insubordinate captive and handed him to the guards so he could be chained up next to Neo for punishment. Miachang, meanwhile, had leaped from her perch and to Dusk's side.

"Dusk, we must get you out of here and back upstairs." Miachang urged as she helped Dusk out of the torture pit.

"No... I need to make sure your husband doesn't kill my son or the little dragon," Dusk panted, grasping at his side.

Kirby struggled to free himself, but there was no way he was moving anywhere. Eventually, he was restrained in the same position as Neo, though he was suspended from the ceiling, his feet dangling, then two more shackles were placed around his ankles to prevent him from swinging. Then the chains were tightened up, removing any and all slack. Fearfully, Kirby looked over to Neo, his heart beating faster every second.

"Kirby... it's going to be okay." Neo whispered, her tears wetting the floor beneath her feet, "Just relax your body as much as you can... it'll only hurt more if you don't."

"Poyo... sorry... Neo..." Kirby sobbed, wriggling as much as he could.

Out the corner of his eye, the pink batamon could see Zorra make his selection from the rack against the wall; a multi-lashed whip, each end topped with a sharp metal prong of some sort. He cracked the whip a few times along the ground from behind the prisoners, just so they could hear it first.

"Kirby... Kirby listen to me... don't let your thoughts be consumed by this darkness," Neo whimpered, "Just look at me, no matter what you hear, no matter what happens. Keep your eyes on me, okay?"

Kirby apprehensively nodded, flinching when he heard the whip crack behind them again. Neo managed a weak smile, not taking her eyes off of Kirby.

"Gag them!" Dusk ordered to the guards, "I don't want them biting off their tongues or anything."

As the guards carried out Dusk's orders, making sure they gagged the captives in the most painful way possible, the bounty hunter examined his prisoners in turn, surveying their strength, estimating how much they might endure.

"You know, my son, I'm a little disappointed in you. Your 'Medi Kni' would be disappointed in you too." Dusk sighed, gazing up to Kirby, "I expected so much more from you, my little warrior. Zorra, my prince... you have been waiting patiently."

'Mmph!" Kirby cried through the gag cutting into his mouth.

Remembering Neo's earlier words, he tore his gaze away from Dusk and focused on Neo. Kirby trembled violently as he broke into a cold sweat, mortal terror engulfing him. It was agonizing just waiting for the pain that was to come, not knowing when it would strike. Then the first lash lash struck. Kirby's eyes shut in pain as droplets of blood were sprayed in every which direction. His pained yelp was silenced only a little by the gag in his mouth. Next it was Neo's turn. She jerked painfully against her bonds, howling in agony. With every crack of the whip, they felt themselves growing weaker and weaker. Kirby closed his eyes, trying to think about something other then the pain and darkness surrounding him. He thought about training in the castle courtyard with Meta Knight, how after their lessons he would often take Kirby to his apartment and they would have tea together. Or when he and Tiff would curl up by the fire on a stormy night and she would read a book to him. Even more recent memories, like when Geoffrey was at first scared of him, or how Neo had saved Meta Knight's life the night they first met. Going to the Knight Club for the first time with all his friends. Cuddling up under his father's cape after sword practice. So many good things, something this evil could not take away, not yet, anyway.

Neither one of them could say for certain how long the flogging had gone on, only that with every swing, Zorra was enjoying himself more and more. When Kirby and Neo both looked like they were about ready to pass out from the pain and blood loss, Zorra stopped, putting the bloodstained whip back on the rack. Neo's and Kirby's backs were raw and flaring with pain, the blood and sweat dripping from their bodies slowly going down the drains in the floor.

"I think that's enough for now." Dusk commented, surveying the lashes crisscrossing his captives' backs, "Take the cubs back to their cell. After you see to those, of course." he added, pointing to the fresh, open wounds both Kirby and Neo and received from the flogging.

While Dusk, Zorra, and Miachang left the torture room to take care of other matters, The remaining demon beast and the two Bloodtooths decided to have a little more fun with the captives. Neo yelped through her gag as a bucket of ice cold water was poured over her to clean the blood and gore out of her wounds. It wasn't long before Kirby was given the same treatment. All the while, they were verbally abused, and one of the Bloodtooths started to rub himself against Neo, causing her to whimper and turn her head away with her eyes squeezed shut. Nothing was given to either of them to dull the pain, only cold water to wash the injuries and crude bandages to staunch the bleeding.

Kirby trembled uncontrollably, sobbing and lowering his eyes in defeat as his tormentor circled him, lightly trailing a finger through one of the injuries that had yet to be dressed.

"Don't you worry, you'll be with you sweet, daddy Meta Knight soon enough..." the demon beast hissed to Kirby in a mock baby voice, "In Hell!" he laughed.

 **IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~**

Kirby and Neo both woke up in the dark. They didn't remember when, but they must have been put back into their cell and then passed out. Both were laying on the floor, still wet from the water that had been splashed over them. Neo tried to move, whimpering as she did. It would be best to just lay still for now. Kirby shivered next to her, curled in a fetal position.

"Neo..." Kirby cried, "Kaabii sorry."

"There's nothing... for you ...to be sorry for, my little friend." Neo whispered, weakly putting her arms around Kirby in an effort to keep him warm.

The two of them were immobile at the moment from the pain, but at least the young warriors had the satisfaction that they did not give Dusk and the Bloodtooths what they wanted. If anything, they now had a glimpse into Dusk's plan. Perhaps while he waited for the others to arrive, which was inevitable, the Bloodtooths and Dusk were going to try and retrain Kirby, possibly turn him into a demon beast, or make him easier for Nightmare to turn into a demon beast by weakening him with this torture. Dusk had used Neo as an incentive for Kirby to do what he wanted, but it had backfired right in his face.

"Kirby... I'm-I'm very proud of you... you were very brave..." Neo said, gently, "Sir Meta Knight would be proud."

"Poyo... you very brave too, Neo." Kirby chirped, "Strong like Kauto..."

Neo laid her head on her arms, careful not to put pressure on her sore wrists. Before drifting off, Neo gave Kirby a zwetoock kiss to the forehead. She smiled, if only a little, when she felt the baby warrior coo slightly. There wasn't much more either of them could do but just wait for their next tormentor to arrive... or their knights in shining armor.

*Throne Room*

After Dusk had his injury patched up, he made his way to the throne room. It had been nearly a week since his last transmission with Nightmare. During most of that time, he was asleep, due to his illness and wound. Miachang was still growing irritated, as her urges for Dusk to return to his room and rest fell on deaf ears, as did her insistence that he put out that foul-smelling smoke stick he had clenched in his mouth. For the stress and the pain, he had said... yeah... right!

"Ah... just the man I wanted to see." Dusk announced upon entering the throne room, holding out his arms when he saw Nightmare was already online and waiting.

A hell hound, which was the only other occupant of the throne room, who had been keeping his grace entertained, hastily bowed and left, as fast as his legs would carry him. The wraith lord cocked his head curiously to one side when he saw Dusk shudder in pain and drop his cigarette, holding onto his bandaged side with the unmistakeable look of agony on his face.

"Dusk... what the hell has been going on over there?! It's been five days and not a word from you, my fleets have scattered and I've lost communications with my demon beasts!" Nightmare snarled, "And you... what the hell happened to you?"

"Ah, glad you asked. Apparently when you set your Destroyers on Thea'or, it attracted the attention of a pack of primitive dogs called the Redsuns. As soon as they caught wind of your painted dragon, I saw with my own eyes that their alphess summoned no less then three Horvian Dragons and sent them to retaliate!" Dusk explained, "And one of them was the size of a small town!"

"Dragons?" Nightmare asked, slightly alarmed.

Dusk groaned, both from annoyance and from pain, "Yes, Your Grace, dragons. You know, giant fire breathing reptiles that fly?"

"I know what they are, Dusk!"

"Anyway, they certainly complicated things, but as we both predicted, the Halberd showed up. I can't really say as for the whole story what happened, but from as near as I can tell, your painted dragon was defeated, though she did take out one of Tamoko's dragons, I might mention," Dusk paused for a moment, catching his strained breath, "Now, onto the best part of my report, after a rather epic battle aboard the Halberd, I have successfully captured both Kirby and Neo... alive."

Although Nightmare wasn't happy with all the news greeting his ears, he did perk up upon learning that Kirby and Neo had been taken captive.

"I see. And what of the others?" Nightmare inquired.

"Eheh, all in good time, Your Grace." Dusk explained, "I sort of had to pick and choose, but with fresh, live bait it's only a matter of time before the rest of Kirby's friends walk right into Felldersai of their own free will." he added, smirking darkly, "And they have been warned, if they decided to bring any of their dragons with them, I'd kill Kirby and Neo both. Naturally I was lying to them, but what they don't know wont hurt them... or will it? By the way, a little off subject, I had ordered those missing parts for my monster transporter before your little war took off... why have I not received them yet?"

Nightmare hunched his shoulders, moving his frightening visage closer to his monitor screen, glowering at Dusk. How dare he speak to him that way!

"What about that thorn in my side, has she and her dog been taken care of?" Nightmare demanded, ignoring Dusk's previous inquiry.

"Yes, Your Grace. Garna has been neutralized. Her base of operation was leveled to the ground and your demons killed off a large portion of her guildsmen. Plus I gave both her and her wolfwrath a bullet from my gun... of course she also gave me Venomancer... right to the gut." Dusk mentioned, stroking his bandages gently.

Upon hearing that story, Nightmare quirked an eyebrow. Dusk was stabbed with Venomancer yet he was still alive? To prove that he had the dagger, Dusk pulled Venomancer out of it's sheath and showed it to the demon lord.

"Impressive... maybe you are stronger then I thought," Nightmare mused.

"And, you will be pleased to know that Prince Zorra has been working on a new regimen for your little pink puffball during his stay," Dusk announced, "When you finally get Kirby in your claws, you'll be able to shatter his spirit like brittle stained glass."

"Hmhmhmhmmmm, excellent. Some good news. Now then Dusk... what about this Star Warrior spy our four legged friend just told me about?"

Dusk opened up his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He wasn't quite sure what to say, he hadn't thought up any really good stories yet. Most of his time had been spent down in the dungeons helping Zorra to undo Kirby's previous training.

"Ah! About that, Your Grace..." Dusk said, nervously.

He glanced over his shoulder, realizing that he was not alone. Gerard's and Balor's ghosts both flitted into the room, just to snicker a little, before fading away yet again. Their forms may have been gone, but Dusk knew that they were hanging around to watch the show.

"I'm waiting!" Nightmare hissed, dangerously.

*Somewhere else in the Badlands*

Talon panted heavily as she perched in a dry, black tree to rest her tired wings. She was quite a ragged mess, even baring a few scrapes and cuts from where some lone demon beast had tried to catch her, thinking the bird a tasty treat. The owl hadn't had a scrap of food nor drink of water in days, though she didn't really care about that. Shortly after Neo had summoned her and sent her on her mission, Talon had felt her connection to her princess severed. This worried her. She couldn't tell what was going through Neo's mind, she couldn't see through her eyes, nor feel what Neo felt.

"Focus, bird, focus! Got to find big sis, big brother, and Meta Knight." Talon hooted, sternly to herself as she ruffled up her feathers for warmth, "My princess can't stay in that evil place anymore."

The Badlands were a huge, vast territory, and a lot of the scenery looked the same, with the exception of a few landmarks, of course, like Felldersai Taa or the Dead Mountain for instance. Talon thought for a moment, she had been flying for five days in a straight line. Surely she should be reaching the boarders of the Gods forsaken place soon. Talon turned her head around, taking a good look at her surroundings as a pale gray fog began to roll in.

Then something moving in the distance caught Talon's attention, someone was coming in from behind her. Talon tensed, thinking that it might be another demon beast, or worse, a Bloodtooth. However, when the form got closer, she realized that it was not either of those two things. It was a girl, about the size of Tiff. She looked to be just as ragged as Talon right about now, her long, white hair a mess, held back by a green bandana. This girl had obviously not been planning to be traveling in such a cold environment, as all she was wearing was a sleeveless orange jumpsuit with a green cape and shoulder guards. It was when she got closer, did Talon see the girl's piercing eyes, almost like a bird of prey herself, and the heavy leather gauntlets. She looked worn out, even baring some wounds that looked recent, yet at the same time, she also appeared to be very determined. All this girl carried was some sort of unique weapon Talon had never seen before.

Talon didn't know why, but something deep down inside was telling her to guide this person to Kautounie and Meta Knight. Everything about this girl was telling Talon 'Star Warrior'. Perhaps it was some lingering part of Neo's consciousness that could never be fully severed. Besides, this girl looked like she could use help too. It's what Neo would have done. As soon as the girl was close enough, Talon spoke.

"Star Warrior? What are you doing out here all by yourself?" Talon asked, unfurling her wings slightly, just in case she needed to take off in a hurry.

She screeched loudly when the girl whipped out her weapon, forming it into some sort of gun. Talon stumbled out of the tree, awkwardly flapping her wings so as not to crash land on the sharp stones and dirt below.

"What?! Who said that?!" the girl demanded, her breathing heavy as she looked around, before her eyes fell on Talon.

"Me... Hmph... is it customary for Star Warriors to just whip out their guns at every bird they see?" Talon grumbled as she righted herself, her amber eyes gazing back at the girl reproachfully.

Now the girl had a baffled, not to mention slightly scared look on her face. She held her gun at the ready, though she didn't fire. So far, this strange, talking owl had been the only thing that hadn't attacked her since she landed on this planet.

"You must not be from around here... hmmm? If I had to guess, I'd say Star Warrior." Talon chided.

"How... how do you know what a Star Warrior is?" the girl demanded, "Furthermore, where am I, and what are those two legged mangy dog things that have been hounding me nonstop?"

"I'm pressed for time, so I'll be brief! My Neo is friends with three of them, one girl that looks like you, a small pink tasty one that's imprisoned with my Neo, and the one called Sir Meta Knight." Talon explained. "By the way, the name is Talon, nice to meet you, strange girl. You're in the Badlands, and it's called that for a reason. Lastly, strange girl, you speak of zwetoocks, of which my Neo is one! But not like those nasty Bloodtooths! Oh... nasty Bloodtooths and Dusk take my Neo away!"

Now the girl was wide eyed; Talon could stop once she mentioned Meta Knight.

"Sir Meta Knight?! He's here on this planet?! Where?"

"If I knew where he was I wouldn't be here, strange girl! My Neo sent me to look for him... but at least I found something." Talon huffed.

The 'strange girl' eyed Talon quizzically. If this bird were a demon beast, she probably would have attacked her already. Right now, she was alone on this planet, and both her and Talon were in mutual need of a friend. Plus, this bird claimed to know Meta Knight, though she still had no clue who exactly this 'Neo' person was.

"Fair enough, but I've got some things I need to get from my ship... if that gray bastard didn't raid it after those dogs of his drove me off," the girl said, grumbling those last few words to herself, "My name's Sirica, by the way, not strange girl."

Talon spread her wings and flitted into the air, hovering above her new companion, "Well, lets not wait, Sirica. There's a Meta Knight to find! Can't keep my Neo waiting any longer. Though I'll say, you still look like a strange girl to me."

Sirica managed a smirk before trudging on through the tough, snow covered ground. This Talon was a strange one, but perhaps she could lead her to Meta Knight. The two stayed within visual range of each other as they moved. Thankfully for Sirica, Talon was flying in the direction in which her ship had, ahem, 'landed'. Suddenly, both owl and star warrior flinched when a loud shriek echoed through the ghostly terrain. Next was the loud neighing of horses and war cries, followed by a howl.

"I know that voice! Kautounie! She's here! She must have brought Meta Knight with her!" Talon screeched, zipping ahead.

Sirica readied her gun, sprinting after the odd bird. Through the fog, they could make out a skirmish taking place. Time to join the brawl.

*On the Boarders of the Badlands*

Once the group had reached the boarders of the Badlands, they took a moment to stare at the scenery. Thin, gray fog lightly covered the hard, snowy ground. In the far distance was a mountain range, the largest of which was the volcano known as The Dead Mountain, where the Bloodtooth throne resided. Thick clouds covered the skies. The sun never shined here. Not many who went into the Demon's Mouth came out. Others who did survive often slipped into madness. Good thing the team about to attempt such a daring rescue was already mad!

"This place... it's pretty freaky." King Dedede shuddered.

"You ain't seen nothing yet. I'd keep that two-ton hammer of yours within reach at all times." Geoffrey suggested, starting forward.

Gunner snorted and reared up, kicking and stomping his hooves angrily. The other horses, even the gentle Gyaroppu acted in much the same way.

"Whoa!" Tiff cried out, gripping her mount's saddle for dear life.

"Easy, Diesel!" Kautounie cried out, patting her steed's neck, "Already have wind of something you don't like, hmm?" she added, taking in a few deep sniffs and looking around, "So do I, boy. So do I."

Meta Knight held onto Geoffrey, though he couldn't suppress his annoyed grunt. King Dedede on the other hand, tumbled right off his horse, landing on the hard ground below.

"Damn it! I'm walkin' from this point on!" King Dedede snorted, taking hold of Merrick's reins with a grumble.

"Hmmm, works for us." Tiff scoffed, "Looks like we wont need to worry about outrunning demon beasts."

"Whatcha goin' on about, girlie?"

"No, we'll just need to outrun you."

King Dedede's eyes went wide with fear as he put together what Tiff was saying. Kautounie cocked her head, as if to say 'well?' Frantically, the self-proclaimed king scrambled onto Merrick's back. It wasn't the proper way to mount a steed, but at least he was getting a little better.

The group traveled in silence for a while, ever alert for danger that could be lurking in the fog. So far, it had been desolate and quiet, and that's what was troubling.

"What's that up ahead?" Kautounie asked, pointing.

They sped up to get a better look at this thing. Amongst the boulders and a few dead trees was what looked to be a spaceship that had crashed, recently, within the week by the looks of it. But once the team got closer, they stopped. Kautounie was the first to notice it, then the others. The smell of blood and rotting flesh hung heavy in the air. All around the wrecked ship were dead bodies, mostly zwetoocks, but there were a couple of horse corpses as well. Kautounie and Meta Knight dismounted to investigate.

"For the most part, it looks like these zwetoocks killed each other." Kautounie observed, turning over a banner she had found beside one of the corpses, revealing an image of a powerful horse, "Stargazers, that would explain the horses. Bloodtooths prefer to use demon beasts as mounts."

"Indeed, it looks like there were demon beasts here too," Meta Knight mused, quietly drawing his sword.

Although most of the wounds on the dead looked to have been caused by claws, teeth, arrows, and swords and other close combat weapons, there were a few with gunshots as well. Just by the size alone, Geoffrey could confirm that they were fired from a high powered revolver. However, there were a few that were a bit of a mystery. Kautounie didn't recognize a particular scent still lingering on the battlefield, though it was all over a couple dead Bloodtooths that had more holes shot in them then Swiss cheese.

"Okay, I'm not quite sure what caused that," Geoffrey admitted, "Maybe a machine gun or an automatic rifle?"

"They're dead." Tiff sighed, growing somewhat impatient, "What does it matter what they were shot with?"

"Tiff... I did mention that dead bodies are well known to get right back up here in the Badlands." Kautounie mentioned. "There's a lot of Black Necromancy and Demonology practiced in these parts."

"Dead bodies... getting back up?" King Dedede asked, becoming more and more unsure if it was such a good idea to come in the first place.

"Come on, King, haven't you ever watched The Walking Dead?" Geoffrey inquired with a snort.

After going over the corpses, (and making sure that they were not the sort that got back up,) Meta Knight led the others into the wrecked ship's open door. The old knight couldn't be certain, but he knew this ship from somewhere, and so did Tiff and even Dedede.

"That scent... it's strong in here!" Kautounie said, her ears perking.

The ship wasn't really a whole lot to look at. Mostly it was just a single room with a pod-like sleeping chamber in the center. There was a computer at the helm, which was sparking a little, and a cargo hold in the back which looked like someone had gone through.

While trying to find the origin of that new scent, Kautounie let out a loud snarl, her fur bristling.

"What is it, Kautounie?" Geoffrey asked.

"Dusk! He was here!" Kautounie growled, "I'd know that bastard's smell anywhere."

Meta Knight tensed up a little. He didn't like thinking of that gray bounty hunter, as when he did, his thoughts often turned to senseless violence.

"Hey Meta Knight, what if this here ship belongs to that one little girl with the big attitude?" King Dedede asked, "The one that tore my castle apart and tried to kill you. You remember, right?"

"Of course I remember, how could I forget?" Meta Knight grunted.

"Sirica..." Tiff muttered.

"Great, that's all we need. Someone else to try and kill us." Geoffrey groaned.

"No, no, Sirica is our ally now. It was a misunderstanding, you see," Meta Knight explained, "She was... under the impression that I had stolen Galaxia and left her mother, Garlude, to die at the hands of a terrible demon beast."

Kautounie and Geoffrey glanced to each other. This sounded like it might have been an interesting story. Geoffrey vaguely knew of The Lady Garlude; Garna had a small memorial of her in her office... which was more then likely destroyed when Thea'or was leveled to the ground. She and Sir Meta Knight had battled side by side. However, the sudden sound of panicked neighs and snorts from their mounts and the loud, hungry groans and moans from outside quickly grabbed everyone's attention.

Kautounie whipped her head around, snarling, "Bloodtooths!"

"Good, I've been waiting all week to try this out!" Geoffrey exclaimed, drawing Nivendethas out from under his duster and adjusting his cowboy hat, giving him the appearance of a high tech western gunfighter.

He savored the feeling of the Smith and Wesson 500 in his hands, anticipating the moment in which he would take down some demon beasts with it.

Tiff whipped Wicked out of her sheath and joined her companions while King Dedede readied his hammer. Outside, they were greeted by a small scouting party of Bloodtooth zwetoocks, of which there were two females and three males, the females easily distinguished by their red and dark purple manes. However, their numbers had increased, due to the once dead bodies that had been animated into undead on the Bloodtooth mage's command.

With soulless eyes, all the freshly animated corpses turned to the group and shambled forward, mouths open and arms outstretched. Kautounie pumped Matilda once and took aim.

"Your majesty... the mask Tamoko gave to you, put it on!" Meta Knight whispered harshly, as Galaxia glowed brightly with power as he prepared his sword beam.

Nervously, King Dedede took the iron mask out of his robes and put it on. Suddenly, the penguinoid felt a surge of power flow throughout his entire body. His mallet, which was once made of wood, was now solid steel instead.

"Yeah! This is a crown fit for a king!" King Dedede exclaimed, hefting his steel hammer in front of him as it began to spark with electricity.

"Untamed One! Holy Nightmare awaits you!" one of the female Bloodtooths shouted, "Take him alive, kill the others should they resist!"

Meta Knight's eyes narrowed as his his cape transformed into wings. Untamed One, how he hated that name! At least Geoffrey's nicknames were a sign of endearment and friendship, if not always so dignified. The group of warriors stepped off the ship and onto the ground to face their attackers. Five Bloodtooths and a horde of undead. All things considered, a fair match up.

"If anyone shall die today, it's you!" Kautounie snarled, pulling Matilda's trigger.

She howled loudly, letting her song fill the hearts of her comrades with courage. Now... the fight was on.

::TO BE CONTIUED::

 **Author's Notes::** So, what to say, well, I swear up and down that I must have read and reread this chapter fifteen times, the last time being last night. It's been in the works for about two months or so, but I'm glad that I waited to post until now. (I'll be honest, that little Walking Dead joke towards the end was sort of a last minute thing. And if your upset about the minor spoiler, you ought to know me by now and know to read the story before the description!) By the way, the Walking Dead is a freaking awesome show... but moving on.

Sooooo, we've got some rather graphic torture sequences, which some may find disturbing, and the more it frightens you, the better I must be getting. (I've been getting much inspiration from American Horror Story: Asylum). Poor Neo and Kirby. Either betray your adopted daddy or let Neo suffer. Kind of caught between a rock and a hard place there. And, remember the 'little girl that got away' Gerard had mentioned back in Chapter 31? Here she is! I LOVE Sirica (Silica for you fans of the Japanese version). She's tough, strong willed, spirited, a match for even the great Sir Meta Knight, and most important of all, she has the voice of the ORIGINAL Ash Ketchum! And I'm talkin' Ash in Kanto with the original 150 Pokemon, thank you very much. *deep sigh* Anywho, just thought I'd get that out of the way. So, Kirby and Neo are hanging on, but how long can they hold out? Even the strongest warrior has his/her limits. I know it was mean of me to leave you guys with yet another cliffhanger, but I want you to come back frothing at the mouth, waiting for more! Until next time... out!

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	38. Shadows from the Past

In You're Nightmares, Shadows from the Past

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Really, Really Disturbing Moments.

*From that annoying "To Be Continued" spot back in Chapter 36*

As soon as Matilda had been fired, one Stargazer zombie was in pieces on the ground, it's brains quite literally blown out with a pile of gore on the ground beside the fallen corpse. The scatter of the shotgun blast had hit some of the surrounding undead, though it didn't seem to affect them as much as the direct hit.

Next it was Geoffrey's turn, aiming at one of the Bloodtooth mages as she began casting her spell. He may not have been a mage, but he knew a fireball being formed when he saw it, having been around Kautounie and Neo long enough to know. The rogue pulled the trigger of his hand held cannon without hesitation. There was no mistaking the 'BANG' and the muzzle flash for anything else on Horva or in the entire known galaxy.

"Ye-ha!" Geoffrey shouted, as the single bullet had taken the red maned Bloodtooth mage right of her feet, leaving a huge hole in her gut, almost severing her body in half, leaving her blood and guts to spill out onto the ground.

In an instant, her spell fizzled out of existence and her eyes dulled as death took her. Just the sound of that handgun caused the remaining Bloodtooths to flinch.

"My turn!" Meta Knight growled, sending a sword beam from Galaxia, slicing through an undead horse and it's rider.

"If you can avoid it, do not engage a zombie in hand to hand combat!" Kautounie shouted, "Their bite is highly infectious!"

"Looks like I ain't avoidin' it!" King Dedede shouted, slamming his hammer downward.

He may have missed his intended target, a ravenous Bloodtooth ghoul, but as his hammer slammed into the ground, the electricity that had been surrounding it flowed through the ground, frying the undead right where he stood, and also catching one of the live male Bloodtooth zwetoock's in it's path. King Dedede was astounded. He had no idea he was capable of something like that. His previous fear being replaced with courage, the king readied himself for another attack.

Tiff grumbled as she caught a set of four Magic Missiles, fired from the remaining Bloodtooth mage as she scurried about the battlefield, barking orders to the males and the undead.

"I wouldn't recommend going out there yet!" Tiff growled, her temper rising.

The team stayed back where they were, unsure of what Tiff was going to do. Then Kautounie nodded.

 _"_ _FIRRA!"_ Tiff shouted, hurling a ball of orange and green flames into the battlefield.

The resulting explosion was what Geoffrey had called 'gorgeous'. Though, it was far larger then Tiff had expected it to be. She screamed, summoning her fire shield over herself and King Dedede, while Kautounie called upon her shield of ice to protect herself, and her brother. Meta Knight had successfully absorbed the remainder of the flames into Galaxia, which glowed fiercely with red hot raw power.

"Wow." Tiff muttered, wide-eyed.

"Girlie... you have no right to call me Dededestructive any more!" King Dedede stated, slamming his hammer into a snarling, incoming stray zombie without even looking, "Shut up!" he muttered to the fallen undead as an afterthought.

"Tiff, when this is over, you and I are going over control again!" Kautounie panted, trying to catch her breath.

Now was not the time to argue, so Tiff just nodded and accepted her fate. Besides, redoing magic lessons with Kautounie was the least of her worries right now. After all, you had to be alive to redo magic lessons! Thankfully, none of her teammates had been hurt from the blast, and a large portion of the undead were charred beyond recognition, and others no more then piles of ashes on the ground. Two of the male Bloodtooths had been scorched from the flames, though the scout leader, the female, was unharmed. With a wave of her paw, the damage dealt to her fighters had been healed and the remaining undead regrouped.

"Time for round two." Kautounie grunted, stepping forward while giving Matilda a solid pump.

She fired again at a ghoul stallion and it's rider. The shot created another hole in the beast's already damaged chest, but did nothing to slow it down. Kautounie pumped and fired Matilda yet again, shredding more of the beast's flesh and shattering bone, yet it still kept coming, even as it's mangled innards spilled to the freezing, dirty ground beneath it.

"Say Meta Knight, that thing looks about the size of a Dire Wolfwrath, don't you think?" Geoffrey mused as he and the star warrior strode forward, pistol whipping a nearby zombie as they did.

"What?!" Meta Knight grunted, flicking sticky, discolored blood off of Galaxia after driving it through a zombie's head, avoiding the vile creature's rotting teeth as he did.

With a smirk, Geoffrey pulled back the hammer of Nivendethas and aimed at the animated horse corpse Kautounie had been shooting at. Seeing what was coming, the zwetoock sorceress wisely stayed out of Geoffrey's way, though she didn't take her eyes off her attacker. Another loud 'BANG', and the animated horse collapsed to the ground, it's head in about five different places. Another pump of Matilda, and Kautounie sent the beast's rider to join him.

"Hmmm, what do you know?" Geoffrey mused, quite calmly given the situation.

While spells and guns were fired and the battle raged on, the Star Warriors gained the upper hand of the fight. King Dedede, with his mechanized hammer, splattered three more zombies with a single swing, though to be fair, he was a tad dizzy after he spun around. Meta Knight, meanwhile, had slain one of the living Bloodtooths, coating Galaxia red with the creature's blood, then whipped up his mach tornado, kicking up ice, snow, and dust as he did. The flames he had taken from Tiff's fireball earlier had also come into play, as the sacred sword effortlessly sliced through the undead, leaving nothing but smoldering ash where they once stood. Tiff hung back from the brawling, focusing on using her healing spells on the others when they showed signs of fatigue, though when another zombie horse and it's rider attempted to run King Dedede down, she took it out using her Ring of the Ram. The summoned ram's head butted right into the beast's chest, knocking it off it's feet, leaving it an easy target for the portly king to finish.

"Fight me!" Meta Knight grunted, pointing his sword at the remaining female Bloodtooth.

She hissed loudly in response, her tail swaying slowly in agitation. Meta Knight paused, his wings quivering. He darted out of the way just in time to avoid being back stabbed by one of the other Bloodtooths, who was holding a short sword that was obviously not zwetoock made. Meta Knight's attacker raised his sword again, but he never had a chance to swing. There was a loud screech and a blur of rusty red, followed by a pained yelp from the Bloodtooth. Upon hearing the screech, Kautounie whipped around faster then the sound of a heartbeat.

"Talon?!" she asked, eyes wide with shock.

"My Sir Meta Knight! You don't hurt my Sir Meta Knight!" Talon screamed as she tore into the Bloodtooth's eyes with sharp, curved claws.

The beast's torment was put to an end when it's body was riddled with several gunshots coming from the same direction in which Talon had flown. Once the beast was downed, Talon flew off, her claws dripping with blood. When she returned, someone was sprinting behind her, gun still blazing. Tiff, Dedede, nor Meta Knight could hardly believe their eyes.

"Sirica?!" Tiff questioned.

With a battle cry, Sirica charged forward, her machine gun shifting into a silver short sword. She cleaved through one of the ghouls that had already been shot full of holes before beheading it. The girl didn't seem to phased by the thick, sticky black and green blood that sprayed her.

"Sirica, you have no idea how happy we are to see you!" Meta Knight called, slicing through a few of the remaining zombies with a fiery sword beam.

"Meta Knight... It's been a very long time!" Sirica said, with a smirk as she withdrew the blade and transformed her weapon back into a gun.

Before long, the undead had been cut down to size, and all that remained were the two Bloodtooth scouts. Knowing there was no way to win this battle, the pair fled, yelping and baying in fear. Kautounie, Geoffrey, Meta Knight, and Sirica all lined up. Geoffrey and the girls fired their guns, while Meta Knight hurled a sword beam. It wasn't certain who hit what at this distance, but what was for sure... those Bloodtooth's were not getting up again.

Satisfied, Kautounie blew the smoke from her shotgun barrel before placing the weapon back into the sheath on her back. Geoffrey nodded once, kissing the handle of his hand cannon, to which Meta Knight rolled his eyes. Humans and their guns!

"Whew, what a mess!" King Dedede exclaimed, taking off his mask, reverting his hammer back to normal. (Well, as normal as Dedede's hammer is, anyway.)

Though to be fair, after that exclamation, the king did look a little nauseous. The smell of dead, rotting, burned cascaras and gore was beyond horrible, after all.

"Good job team... and you too," Geoffrey congratulated, nodding to Sirica.

He looked away, blinked, then realized what he just said, "Wait a sec, where the hell did you come from?!"

"I found her, you silly human!" Talon screeched as she flew overhead, perching on Kautounie's outstretched arm.

Kautounie's mouth was agape for a moment, at a complete loss for words. It was also only now did Sirica realize that she was standing about three feet away from a zwetoock... and it wasn't attacking her nor barking at her either.

"Sirica, my friend,... this one is on our side!" Meta Knight informed, catching hint of Sirica's edginess while sheathing Galaxia and wrapping his cape around himself, "You already know Tiff and his highness, King Dedede. May I introduce Kautounie Redsun and Geoffrey Redsun."

Geoffrey and Kautounie both greeted Sirica in traditional zwetoock fashion, though rather hastily. At Sirica's slightly confused look after hearing that they both had the same last name, Geoffrey once again had to explain that he was adopted.

"Why does everyone ask me that?!" the human grumbled to himself.

Talon puffed out her chest proudly, knowing she had succeeded in her mission. She had found Neo's family. After getting acquainted and briefly catching up, the group quieted to listen to Talon's report.

"Talon... you have no idea how happy I am to see you! If you're here... that must mean Neo's still alive!" Kautounie stated.

"Big sis Kautounie, I've lost communion with Neo. But I do know the way to Felldersai Taa where I last saw them," Talon hooted, flapping her wings, "She sent me, told me to fly with all haste to find her big sis, big brother, and her Sir Meta Knight. Which I have found! I also found the strange girl there called Sirica."

Sirica rolled her eyes; strange girl, that's how Talon knew her and that's how Talon referred to her. King Dedede however found it rather amusing, as was quickly observed by all those hearing his muttered, "Serves you right, little girl." (Which was everyone, I might add.)

Sadly, Talon couldn't tell them exactly where in the fortress Kirby and Neo were being kept nor what condition of health they were in. But at least now they had a guide to lead them to Felldersai Taa, and perhaps an extra fighter to help them out. Speaking of which, how did Sirica, an old acquaintance of Meta Knight's, end up all the way out here?

"Sirica, I must ask, what brings you out here?" Meta Knight inquired.

"I'm not really sure what happened. About a week or so ago I received a strange message that there was a large amount of demon beasts on this planet. But when I reached this place, a surge of energy caused my ship to malfunction and crash land. Shortly after I got out of the wreckage, I was immediately attacked by those... those Bloodtooths. I think I might have landed right in the middle of a fight or something, because at first, those things were attacking others of the same kind... they looked like you, but more... wild." Sirica explained, pointing to Kautounie.

"Sounds like you accidentally interrupted a fight between Stargazers and Bloodtooths." Kautounie commented, nodding her head for Sirica to continue.

"Both sides were riding around on demon beasts, at least, I think they were, though a large portion of those Stargazers as you called them had been captured. Then I saw who was behind it. That bastard bounty hunter named Dusk! Ever since Nightmare's return, I've been on the lookout for him," Sirica spat, "Anyway, I eluded capture and killed quite a few of the Bloodtooths as I did. But everything is kind of a blur from there. Two of the Stargazers started barking at me, I'm not sure, but I think they were in charge. I couldn't understand what they were saying, but they took the hit that was meant for me."

"You killed Bloodtooths. You're a hero in the Stargazer's eyes." Geoffrey stated, "And as far as the Redsuns are concerned."

"Then I spent most of my time wondering around, unable to find civilization anywhere. When I decided to go back to my ship to see if I could rummage up some supplies, I found Talon. She told me about all of you, and that she knew Meta Knight! On the way here, she had also informed me of Kirby's capture by Dusk's hands, as well as... her Neo?" Sirica questioned, hoping that it might mean something to someone, "Talon wont stop going on about Neo, just who is he?"

Kautounie whimpered sadly, "She. Neo, is my little sister... and Geoffrey's."

Now Sirica felt a little bad at how she had referred to Neo. She knew all to well what it was like to have family taken away from her.

Finally, she wrapped things up by explaining how Talon had decided to join her and how the two of them stumbled upon Meta Knight and the team. Then it was Meta Knight's turn to explain the current goings on, including the Halberd, their friends working 'behind the scenes', Dusk's demands, and what they were doing in such a hostile environment.

"Sirica, would you be willing to join us?" Meta Knight asked, urgently, "If we're going to face Dusk and the horrors of Felldersai Taa, we can use all the help we can get!"

"Hmph, you dang near totaled my castle! Some Fellersee Tar ought to be no problem for you!" King Dedede added.

Kautounie sighed at King Dedede's mispronunciation of the prison's name, but didn't do much more aside from that.

"Please, Sirica." Tiff begged, "Kirby and Neo are both in danger!"

Sirica smiled, readying her weapon. Traveling with Sir Meta Knight, Tiff, a self-proclaimed king, a zwetoock sorceress, a crazy bird, and a gun nut to an infamous prison fortress owned by Nightmare Enterprises to rescue the Star Warrior Kirby and a zwetoock cub she had never even met before? Sounded like a good idea to her!

"Meta Knight... None of you need to ask me..." Sirica said at last, "Hell yes I'm coming with you!"

"Wow, now that's a girl after my own heart!" Geoffrey muttered, nodding.

With Sirica and Talon joining them, the team got to regrouping before heading out again, though there was a bit of confusion when Sirica mistook their horses for demon beasts and nearly shot them. It was understandable why the girl was so quick on the trigger. Wandering about the Badlands all by yourself could do that to anyone. Things had also got a little interesting when Talon was more properly introduced to King Dedede. Kautounie was at first unsure whether the touchy owl familiar would accept the penguin's company, but much to her surprise and King Dedede's, Talon took to him like a bird to the sky.

"Hmmmm, I think this could rather work. You know my Neo, yes?" Talon hooted, perching herself on the king's shoulder.

"Ummm, yes, she's a mighty good friend o' mine." King Dedede said, reaching out to stroke the owl.

Talon did not object, in fact she actually enjoyed the king's company. Maybe somehow she too knew he was a bird watcher.

Kautounie and Geoffrey had piled up the carcasses and set them on fire, just to ensure that they would never get up again, while Sirica searched the remains of her ship for any more supplies she could take with her. It seemed as though Dusk and his zwetoock pack had done a thorough job and there wasn't much left, but luckily for Sirica, her new companions had brought plenty to spare. Tiff had even been kind enough to cure Sirica's and Talon's injuries by use of her healing magic, something the young Dreamlander certainly didn't know how to do the last time Sirica had seen her.

After letting Sirica and Talon both have a bite to eat, the team mounted up and left the sight of the wreck behind them. Talon seemed content to stay with King Dedede while Sirica rode with Kautounie on Diesel.

"So Tiff, what's up with... whatever it was you just did a little bit ago?" Sirica asked, curiously, "What did you do? By the way, I like the new look. Reminds me a little of my mother."

"Oh... that." Tiff said, nervously combing through her ponytail with her fingers, "It's kind of a long story, actually."

"As long as we remain vigilant and alert, I'd say we have time for long stories." Geoffrey stated, smiling at Sirica.

"I'm really interested." Sirica prodded, leaning back against Kautounie, getting comfortable on the horse's saddle, "I'd love to hear what made you choose the path of a Star Warrior."

"Come to think of it, so would I." King Dedede muttered.

The group followed Talon's guidance as they traversed the vast, cold, and empty land. Already it was getting dark outside. Evening was fast approaching, and the nights were always dark and full of terrors here. One battle was down, but there were many more to come, that much was for certain. Meta Knight couldn't help but chuckle a little to himself. Traveling into hostile territory to retrieve something of great value. Perhaps not a sacred golden blade this time, but something just as valuable, if not more so. He could see so much of the Lady Garlude in Sirica, she was so much like her mother, just as beautiful, just as brave, and just as fierce. A shadow from the past, and for once, one Meta Knight was happy to see. Indeed, something to help them in the Badlands; Kabu could not have been more right.

*Felldersai Taa, Prison Laboratories*

The prison lab, Dusk really didn't like it in there. At one time during it's prime, Nightmare himself had mutilated many Galaxy Soldiers and Star Warriors into monsters in this very room. Now, it served as a place for Miachang and the other mages residing in Felldersai to work on devising potions, tonics, elixirs, and spells. It was a single, large room with one long table in the center, more counters off to the right hand side, which were lined with burners and all sorts of exotic equipment and components Dusk just assume not touch for fear of being turned into something undesirable. All things considered, the laboratory was one of the better lit rooms in the dungeons. There were two adjoining rooms. There was a lot of activity from the one to the left of the lab, as that was where Dusk was having his Monster Transporter assembled. A Gods awful smell was coming out of the other one. Curious, Dusk chanced a look inside and discovered that the tiny room was where the prisoners' food was prepared.

He groaned audibly, wondering how he was going to keep his captives alive on such swill. Miachang was with him, though she only spat something in zwetoock, then continued with her work.

"If you screw around with the Deva Noirdomak again, you better get used to that smell because that's all you'll be getting." Miachang taunted, with a slight smile.

"Come now, your highness, I'm far to valuable to His Grace for him to just throw me in prison and let me rot." Dusk retorted, exhaling a puff of smoke from the cigarette he was smoking, "Besides, he's killed countless of his own men on a whim. Reginald nearly killed my investments, he had to be punished for it. By the way, the conversation between His Grace and myself was private, how did you-? Oh never mind. What have you got for me?" he asked, flitting his raven wings out so he could more easily jump up onto an empty spot on the counter beside the Bloodtooth princess.

Miachang frowned when Dusk winced again. His wound had already opened once this day, he could not let it happen again!

"Dusk, you need to rest." Miachang growled, "And put that damn thing out!"

"I will as soon as I see to it my cubs are taken care of." Dusk groaned, taking a closer look at what Miachang was carefully brewing in a small bowl over a barely lit burner.

He wasn't entirely sure, given the lingering stench of the place, but he couldn't smell anything coming from the zwetoock's concoction. Even with his training as a Bounty Hunter, he could have sworn that whatever it was the Bloodtooth mage with mixing was nothing more then pure water.

"It is the Milk of the Mothberry, cleansed of it's color and smell. When applied to wounds, it sterilizes them and lets them heal. But when ingested, it's a powerful hallucinogenic, often making the one who takes it see what they want to see... at first, anyway. Until they've had enough... in which case, they will see what we would like them to see. Milk of the Mothberry has another name, Gray One, the Waking Nightmare." Miachang explained, with a devious smile, "You and my husband shall find training the little star and dragon easier, as with clouded minds, it will be harder to resist."

Dusk nodded, "They do have wills like steel. Kirby refused even though we had Neo tortured if he didn't do as ordered. However, I doubt that they could even stand at this time, considering the flogging Prince Zorra gave to them."

"All the better." Miachang snorted, "The Waking Nightmare will need to be administered slowly, in small doses throughout the next couple of days. We need consistency to make the effects permanent. And the best part, there's no known cure for it... unless I decide there is, of course." she added, with a wicked sneer.

Dusk thought about this for a moment. He didn't know exactly when the rest of Kirby's team would come knocking on Felldersai's well-guarded doors, only that eventually, they would find their way here. But as soon as he got the lot, he'd be sending them off to Nightmare. May as well make sure Kirby and Neo were incapacitated and completely helpless. It would make Nightmare's work a whole lot easier, and that might mean a bonus for him.

"Excellent work, your highness. Now we just need to get it into them." Dusk smirked, "Perhaps a slightly more appetizing meal will make the medicine easier to stomach." he suggested.

Kirby and Neo were both incredibly weak due to their prior punishment, but Dusk would see to it that they would eat that night. He vaguely wondered where Gerard and Balor were, as he had not seen their spirits for some time. Maybe they grew bored once Nightmare had cut off communications with him. Worked for Dusk. Come to think of it, he really didn't care where those two were, just so long as they left him alone.

*Felldersai Taa, Dungeons*

For a while, all the psychical pain seemed to vanish as troubled sleep took them, only to be replaced with horrid nightmares. What if Meta Knight and the others never came? What if they were killed, or worse, sent to Nightmare before the others got to Felldersai in time? Or what if their rescuers, their family, were slaughtered on their way, or worse yet, simply abandoned them to their fate. Such horrible and morbid thoughts, easy to think of such things when locked up in the dark for so long. But then the light came on, waking both prisoners from their sleep. It was painful at first, and a precursor to some sort of torment. Maybe their captors figured they had long enough to rest and were here to drag them off to be tortured again.

Kirby and Neo both tried to move, quickly discovering that to be a mistake. Now the pain was creeping back, and every movement caused the dried blood caked on their backs to crack and split, reopening the injuries and turning their dirty bandages dark red. When Neo finally gathered the strength to sit up, she couldn't help but see just how weak Kirby was.

"Poyo... Neo..." Kirby whimpered, struggling just to drag himself closer to her.

He was covered in a cold sweat and began to cough. Gingerly, Neo reached out and scooted the baby warrior closer to her, placing her hand on his forehead.

"Kirby... you're running a fever." Neo whispered, weakly.

"Poyo, Kaabii... not weak..." Kirby moaned as he tried to stand again, but failed to do so.

Come to think of it, Neo wasn't feeling to great either, and it wasn't just the lashes from the flogging. They were both malnourished and in a filthy environment, and it was only a matter of time before their immune systems started to break down. Plus, they were thrown into their cold cell dripping wet. With every passing minute, escape seemed less and less likely, especially now that the two of them were ill.

The two of them consigned themselves to their fate, just waiting for the cell door to open and the torment to begin; though what sport there was in torturing victims who were already injured and sick could be anyone's guess.

"Where are you?" Neo growled, coughing from her parched throat as she did, "Are you... afraid of... -cough-... two sick and injured cubs?"

Kirby and Neo both trembled violently as their cell became colder with each passing second. So far, the door had yet to open, but the fur on Neo's back bristled and she could see both her's and Kirby's breath hang in the stale air. She could feel that there was something else in the cell with them, and she didn't like it. Suddenly, a chilling laugh began to fill Kirby's and Neo's ears, striking their hearts with fear.

"No, no, I'm not at all afraid, child." said a slick voice, "I was just getting a good look at my boy's sis and cuddly pink friend."

Suddenly, the specter that Kirby and Neo had seen back in the main levels of Felldersai stepped right out of the concrete walls and into view. There was no mistaking it, this man was Geoffrey's biological father, at least he was while he lived. Stepping through the solid steel door and joining him was the Alpha Hell Hound that they had also seen during their attempted escape. Kirby and Neo's hearts both began pounding. Ghosts were nothing to take likely, especially considering they were completely helpless right now.

"Y-you... you're... y-you're Gerard Collins, aren't you?" Neo asked, her voice shaking as she swallowed dryly.

The spirit of the assassin smirked, reveling his death injuries to the two prisoners, "That I am. So tell me, how's my boy doing? I hear that while I've been stuck in here, he's been corrupted by you loathsome Redsuns! From what I understand, he's quite a dashing young lad, and has taken up arms for the Star Warriors!"

"Geoffrey... w-wants n-n-n-nothing to... to do with the likes of you, Gerard. He is... he is a dragon, a true Dragon of the Redsun." Neo said, her words shaking with every breath she took.

Gerard just glanced to the alpha hell hound, trying to hold back his laughter. His son, born to a man in service to the most powerful demon lord in existence... a Dragon of the Redsun? A mere human... a prince among zwetoocks? How revolting.

"Heheheh... I told you, Gerard. But you didn't believe me. Now then, don't tell me that you don't know who I am..." Balor grinned, lowering his head down to Kirby's level and grinning.

Kirby violently trembled at the sight of the hell hound's ghost. He remembered that raspy voice all to well. This was the same demon beast that nearly took his mentor's, his father's life.

"A-alpha... -cough-...Alpha... B-Balor..." Kirby whimpered, struggling just to sit up.

Gerard and Balor smiled as they circled Kirby and Neo, examining them, letting their fear give them power.

"You... you murdered star warriors... just for fun..." Neo shuddered as she felt Gerard's hand lightly touch her shoulder, sending a jolt of painful cold throughout her body.

"Is that what my boy told you, then? Hmhm, looks like Geoffrey is capable of telling the truth, after all." Gerard snickered, "I thought I taught him better."

"Poyo, leave... leave Neo alone!" Kirby chided, finally making it to his feet.

Now Gerard's and Balor's eyes landed on the little Star Warrior. As the ghosts advanced, Gerard flicking a spectral dagger out of his coat sleeve as he did, Kirby stumbled back, away from Neo, his breath fast paced, nearly hyperventilating.

"No, Kirby! Leave him alone!" Neo shouted, trying to drag herself to the little star warrior.

Gerard and Balor ignored Neo, their focus solely on Kirby now.

"Well now, aren't we brave for one so small. Look at you. You really remind me of a young prince I once knew!" Gerard purred, placing the dagger to Kirby's belly, "I can tell when someone's been usin' my old dagger. Did you like it? Did you like the feeling of Venomancer in your hands, little star warrior?"

Desperately, Kirby tried to push the weapon away, only to have his hands go right through the blade. However, when Gerard pressed the point of the blade into him, it drew blood, causing the frightened Star Warrior to yelp. Now Gerard grinned with evil glee.

"So you're Meta Knight's apprentice hmm? The one who defeated Nightmare five years ago?" Gerard questioned, "I guess I stopped caring about the bastard after I was killed, but the son of a bitch had done things to me... turned me into one of his monsters and I never even knew it. This is where demon beasts and the completely vile who have been slain go. Forever and eternity. Kind of our own private Ring of Hell."

"Don't think I've forgotten about what that bastard Meta Knight did to me either!" Alpha Balor snarled, "I was meant to win that fight... and from what I understand, Riley's just thrown me away and replaced me with another demon, am I right?"

"Please, stop it!" Neo begged.

The two specters snorted and laughed when Neo began chanting prayers, albeit weakly, and making gestures with her hands.

"The Great Dragon has no power here... daughter." Gerard laughed, "So why don't you just sit back and watch."

"Poyo... no... Kaabii wont..." Kirby said defiantly, struggling to get to his feet once again.

He stopped when Gerard forced him onto his back, pointing the ghostly dagger he carried right at the little puffball's gut.

"I may not have Venomancer anymore, but ever since I learned of your existence, I've wanted to drive one of my knives right into your gut, Kirby of the Stars!" Gerard panted, an insane and evil smile forming on his face, "My days of slaughtering star warriors hasn't stopped, it was merely postponed."

Kirby's eyes filled with tears, looking up into the face of pure hatred, almost as frighting as Nightmare's visage. Neo screamed loudly as the assassin's ghost lifted up his dagger to strike the blow, only to suddenly have the spirit blade unexpectedly fly from his hand and through the cell wall. At this point, Gerard and Balor looked just as surprised as Kirby and Neo.

Then another ghostly form revealed itself, levitating just above Kirby, and matching Gerard's height. Now Gerard found a much larger spectral blade pointing at his throat as he looked into the pale blue eyes of the other spirit. This one was unmistakably a star warrior, the mask alone was a giveaway. All that could be seen of the ghost's face were his two eyes. Once Neo had gotten over the initial shock, she realized that this spirit was of the same elf-like race as Knuckle Joe, or at least he was while he lived. He had the same sort of spiky blonde hair, though he was wearing black plate mail armor, trimmed with silver and a pale green cloak that billowed in unfelt wind. In his left hand, he carried a shield, one both Kirby and Neo had seen before. Come to think of it, Kirby recalled that it looked like the locket Knuckle Joe had once carried and Neo had seen a replica of that exact same shield in Garna's office back at her club. Even more so, Kirby had SEEN this man before; there were some paintings of him in Garna's office as well, and Meta Knight had a photo of this warrior in his cabin back on the Halberd. Could this really be happening, or had both of them truly gone completely insane?

Alpha Balor snarled loudly and shrank back, his ears pinned against his skull. Gerard just grinned, then began to laugh. Kirby, meanwhile, had taken this opportunity to scuttle back to the safety of Neo's arms.

"You always did like murdering Star Warriors while they were injured or asleep, Gerard!" the Star Warrior ghost growled.

"Sir Jecra... you and I never did have a chance to be formally introduced while we were alive, but from what I understand, you're old buddy Meta Knight was the one who cut you down by his own sword!" Gerard snorted, flinching when the star warrior's sword was pressed further into his neck.

"And I'm glad he did! Sir Meta Knight saved me from becoming a monster like you!" Jecra snarled.

Gerard's smile only widened, "Then if your no monster... what are you doing here?"

"Unlike you, Gerard... Alpha Balor... I am where I choose to be right now!"

Jecra's ghost flicked his sword, forming a brand new wound on Gerard. The assassin only sighed, feeling the slit in his throat. Balor had tried to circle around the two of them to get to the prisoners huddled together on the floor, but he quickly thought better of it once Jecra's sword became pointed at him.

"Come now, Sir Jecra. You and I are both already dead. Neither of us can die again." Gerard sighed, whipping out another one of his spectral daggers, "A fight between all of us... we'd be at it all night."

"In that case, I've got plenty of time!" Sir Jecra growled, raising his sword to accept Gerard's challenge, "Bring it, assassin! My days of slaying monsters and demons had merely been... postponed." he added, mimicking the undead rogue's earlier words.

Gerard and Balor just glowered, then retreated back into the concrete walls. Neo and Kirby both yelped as they were thrust into blackness again once the light was turned off, but it was lifted just as quickly once a celestial orb of blue light formed in the palm of Jecra's hand. Kirby and Neo both shivered fearfully as the Star Warrior's ghost approached them, reaching out with his other hand.

Kirby had expected the ghost's touch to be icy and hard. Although it was still cold, Jecra's ghostly touch had helped to dull the pain throbbing throughout his body. The ghost of the Star Warrior gave Neo the same treatment, even lightly scratching her behind the ear, unknowingly getting the sensitive spot, causing the little cub to lean into his hand. Finally, Neo had gathered the courage to speak.

"T-t-thank you... Sir ….Sir J-Jecra." she stammered.

"It's alright... there's no reason for you to fear me." Jecra said gently, kneeling down beside the two frightened captives.

Neo and Kirby both began to relax in his presence, even finding him somewhat soothing. Kirby had even reached out with his stubby pink hand to the ghost. Sir Jecra sighed; he could tell that the two of them were slowly breaking and wearing down.

"Poyo... K-Knuckle Joe's daddy?" Kirby asked.

"That I am... or rather... was." Jecra sighed, his smile hidden by the mask he wore, "You must be Kirby of the Stars... my friend's apprentice."

"Poyo... Medi Kni's son." Kirby chirped, weakly.

"Sir Meta Knight decided to... to take Kirby in as his own cub... only a few days before we were taken to this place." Neo explained.

Jecra nodded, "I always knew that stoic tough guy had a soft spot buried under that hard steel exterior somewhere." he chuckled, "And you, little one. Meta Knight told me about your kind while I lived. By the looks of you, I'd say you must be a Redsun."

"N-Neo Redsun, Milord." Neo introduced, "Second Daughter to the Alphess Tamoko Redsun. Not many in the G.S.A. knew of us, but the Dragon and the Star have been allies since the Great Wars." she added.

Jecra bowed politely, realizing now that he was in the presence of a princess. Death, after all, was no excuse for poor manners, " Forgive me. I-I should be calling you your highness."

"Please, Sir Jecra. There's nothing to forgive. Meta Knight and all my friends just call me Neo." Neo said, blushing slightly.

"Very well, as her highness commands, Neo it is." Jecra stated.

The ghost began feeling fond memories return to him. Meta Knight told some of the most fantastic stories from when he had been stranded on Horva. Not to mention, Neo and Kirby, who were just happy to have a friend, had wanted to tell Sir Jecra how his boy was doing... or ask him if he knew a way out, more importantly. But suddenly, Sir Jecra paused, whipping his head around to the cell door. Instinctively, Kirby and Neo both turned to see what he was looking at.

"Someone's coming!" Jecra whispered, "They cannot know that I'm here!"

"Poyo, wait!" Kirby cried out before Jecra vanished through the walls, "Balor...a-and Gerard... they see you!"

Neo and Kirby both gazed at Sir Jecra fearfully. What if those two alerted Dusk or the Bloodtooths?

"Everyone here, especially Dusk, knows Gerard is a professional liar! Who's going to believe him?" Jecra asked, before fading away, grudgingly leaving the two cubs in the dark once again.

Kirby and Neo both sat quietly, staring at the wall where Sir Jecra had materialized into.

"Good point..." Neo muttered, managing a weak smile.

Once again, the dim light bulb hanging in their cell was turned on, though the two cubs had a much easier time adjusting themselves to the light. Neo and Kirby pressed themselves into the far corner of the room as the door opened. Much to their surprise, it wasn't bored guards, but Dusk and Miachang. The two of them walked inside, Miachang carefully setting down a tray that had what Neo guessed was their evening meals on it.

Dusk eyed both prisoners. They were both very weak. Finally, Neo spoke.

"Please Dusk... Kirby is sick. He needs water and medicine." she pleaded, softly.

"Oh, well we can't have that, can we?" Dusk purred.

Miachang hissed in the arcane tongue, forming leather shackles around Neo's wrists while conjured chains pinned her against the wall, propping her into a sitting position and forcing her to let go of Kirby. While Neo screamed, struggling weakly to break free, Dusk had sat down on the ground next to Kirby, taking the smaller batamon in his lap. Kirby's breathing became labored and forced as he looked up to his captor's orange eyes.

"I didn't want to punish you, but a father must do what he must." Dusk said, his voice frighteningly gentle as he stroked Kirby's head, causing the little one to shudder.

"Kirby!" Neo cried, going limp against her bonds.

The two of them had expected Miachang and Dusk to start torturing them again. Already Neo's heart was pounding wildly as she wriggled and sobbed, pressing herself against the stone wall and curling her tail between her legs. But instead, their captors just brought the tray closer. There were two bowls of gruel, though it looked considerably better then the slop Kirby had been fed earlier that day, and two cups filled with water.

"Just as I thought." Dusk observed, noting the lack of resistance.

Kirby flinched and closed his eyes when he felt Dusk move as the bounty hunter held him firmly, but instead of pain, he felt a spoon filled with the gruel gently press against his mouth. The little warrior squealed as he tried to roll out of Dusk's grip.

To be fair, this was more frightening then being thrust into the dark and left to starve, or even being flogged by the Bloodtooth prince. Why were these two all of a sudden being so tender and gentle with them? Kirby curled in on himself and eventually took a few licks, feeling his stomach churn from the fear. He thought he might throw up again. When he opened his eyes, he could see that Miachang was trying to feed Neo in much the same way.

"Come now, my little warrior, you need your strength." Dusk sighed, putting the spoon back in the bowl when Kirby turned his head away.

Next, he raised the cup to the pink puffball's mouth, letting him slowly sip the cool water inside. It wasn't like the stagnant water from earlier, it was actually clean and refreshing. Soon enough, Kirby's thirst got the better of him, and half the water was gone before Dusk set it down. Kirby coughed, some of the water dripping down his chin.

"Easy now, little one." Dusk said, gingerly propping Kirby up a bit more so he could eat easier.

Neo closed her eyes and turned her head away, shaking violently from being so close to Miachang. This was unnatural. Bloodtooths were never this kind to Redsuns, not even to the cubs. However, Miachang patiently sat next to her, waiting. Neo's stomach growled when the scent of the food reached her nose. For once since they arrived at Felldersai, a hot meal was brought to the two of them.

"Eat, little dragoness." Miachang commanded, holding the bowl under Neo's chin.

Eventually, Neo couldn't hold out any longer. She was starving. The young Redsun lapped up the porridge, quickly swallowing it. Sure, it wasn't the best tasting food, but it was better then that rotten meat she had been fed earlier, and it wasn't stale or spoiled either. Dusk smiled darkly once Kirby had begun eating as well. At first, the little star warrior gagged, but he began to settle down and accept the feeding.

"That's it. There's a good boy." Dusk purred as his captive ate without resisting, "There we go."

About a quarter of the way through their meals, both Kirby and Neo began to feel lightheaded, their senses slowly slipping away. Kirby began to cuddle against Dusk's side, smiling weakly. He could hear Meta Knight's silky, accented voice and felt his cape being draped over his shoulders, providing him warmth.

"M-Medi Kni? Daddy?" Kirby chirped, laying back in his captor's arms.

His vision swam and wavered as he was fed another mouthful of gruel. Kirby could see the familiar face of his friend, his father. Those white gloved hands were holding Kirby gently, cradling him. The little star warrior relaxed, licking the side of his mouth.

"Yes, my little warrior... I'm here..." he could hear Meta Knight say.

"Poyo... daddy..." Kirby sighed, right before being silenced with another mouthful.

Kirby was now limp in Dusk's arms, completely unaware of where he was anymore. His liquid blue eyes were half closed, staring up at what he believed to be his father's visage. The more he ate, the clearer he could see his beloved Meta Knight. And Kirby wasn't the only one seeing things. Neo blinked a few times, her eyes dilating from the powerful drug she had unknowingly ingested.

"Kautounie...is... that you?" Neo asked, her tail lightly thumping on the ground.

Miachang smiled. The effects of the Mothberry Milk were stronger then she had anticipated. She glanced to Dusk for a moment. They had used the late Captain Reginald's stupidity and neglect to their advantage. Spoonful after spoonful, the two weakened captives became more and more compliant, truly believing what they were seeing. Neo could clearly hear her elder sister's voice in her head and felt the warmth of her fur against her body.

"Just stay here... everything will be fine, you'll see, little sis."

Neo slowly nodded, accepting another spoonful of the drugged gruel. Soon enough, there wasn't anything left. After the prisoners had finished eating, Dusk and Miachang stayed a little while longer, just to make sure the drugs were working properly. Kirby had already snuggled into Dusk's cape, cooing happily and chirping Meta Knight's name in his own, unique way.

"Miachang my dear, a success, I should think." Dusk congratulated, clipping off his cape and wrapping it around Kirby.

The Bloodtooth princess smiled, then released Neo from her shackles. Neo moaned softly as Kirby was placed back in her arms. As the two closed their eyes, they could both hear Meta Knight's and Kautounie's voices, gently soothing them.

"We will be back for you. Just sleep now."

"Mhmmmm..." Neo moaned, nodding her head and holding Kirby closer to her.

Dusk and Miachang left the cell to let the drugs settle firmly into the prisoners. Sure Dusk gave up his cape, but he had some spares. Once out of the dungeons and without any warning, Miachang suddenly plucked Dusk up off the ground and carried him towards his room.

"Hey! Your highness... what's the big idea?" Dusk demanded, clearly startled at suddenly being manhandled in such a manner.

"Now that the little ones have been cared for this evening, you will go to your den to rest! And you will stay until you are fit for battle, or looking after the little star and dragoness, or the Deva Noirdomak calls upon you." Miachang ordered, firmly, "Gray One, you too will need your strength when the Dragons and Stars come to Felldersai Taa.

Why did such a primitive dog have to make such good sense? Indeed, Dusk was better, but he was not fit for battle. Once in his room, Miachang laid the gray batamon on the bed, still in his armor, covering him with one of the fur pelts. Dusk didn't resist. He closed his eyes, letting sleep take him. All the while he thought about what happened down in the dungeons. Part of him liked what it had felt like, making it all the sweeter when Meta Knight would find out. Dusk would almost regret sending Kirby off to Nightmare. Almost... the bounty hunter was only protecting an investment, that was all. Love for a child, even a little, was something he could not afford.

When Miachang turned to leave, she couldn't help but notice another presence in the room with her. She let out a low growl, her fur bristling. When nothing showed itself, the Bloodtooth princess muttered something, flicking her hand, then left, unaware of the ghostly masked Star Warrior, watching her from the walls with narrowed eyes.

 **Author's Notes::** To sum things up, we have the conclusion of the zombie brawl, complete with Sirica's epicness! Meanwhile, Dusk and Miachang are cooking up a rather nasty and vile plot to shatter both Kirby's and Neo's wills. Those two young ones are strong, but even the mightiest warrior has his/her limits. Yet, even in a place of death and despair, they have a friend in their midst, an old friend and fellow warrior of Sir Meta Knight's, the Legendary Star Warrior, Sir Jecra... but... he's dead, isn't he? Well yes, of course he is! How did the old Star Warrior's ghost get into Felldersai Taa? Well I'm not going to tell you that, it would ruin the fun, but I will say this, I adore Sir Jecra, I think he's awesome, even though you don't see much of him in the Kirby Anime. I for one think he'd be fun loving and mischievous (Hey, his kid's got to get it from somewhere!), yet he can also be cordial and polite when it suits him or downright dangerous and serious when the situation calls for it. Needless to say, even in the protection death gives him, Gerard would rather not cross blades with Sir Jecra's ghost. One thing I will let you in on, and this is important... Ghosts are f***ing NASTY opponents, be they bad or good. Hope you all enjoyed this one as much as I did.

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	39. The Path to Wight Lake

In Your Nightmares, The Path to Wight Lake

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and a Slightly Cracked Heart followed by Some Ass Kicking.

'Well... here we are in the Badlands, too late to turn back now, not that any of us ever would. So far, aside from that small scouting party and those zombies, nothing else has shown itself. Nothing else that wants to kill us, anyway. But against all odds, who should we find out here? Talon, Neo's familiar and Sirica, daughter of the Lady Garlude. Sure, when we first met Sirica back in Dreamland, there was a huge misunderstanding between herself and Sir Meta Knight, but in the end, she turned out to be a most valuable ally, and so she shall be again. I look forward to fighting by Sirica's side... wait a minute. Come to think of it, I already have."

The Thoughts of Tiff Ebrum

'Sirica... now there's a girl after my own heart. She fits all the criteria I've been looking for in a girl. She's a chick, she's cute, and most important of all, she's a gun nut like myself. Kindred spirits, us two, I should think. Speaking of which, I need to find out where she got that thing. I gotta get me one of those, it's a gun, a rocket launcher, a sword, a flamethrower, a grappling hook, and there's probably a bottle opener, cigarette lighter, and a universal remote somewhere on there too. By the way, she sounds kind of familiar, but I can't put my finger on it... Anyway, lighthearted blathering aside, Talon's leading the way to Wight Lake, which is some distance from where we stand now so I'm not gonna bore you with the details. Okay, maybe I am. Wight Lake is on the far eastern side of the Badlands, about fifty miles or so from the Dead Mountain. Oh boy... this is not going to be an easy jail break, I can tell you that much right now. Horvian Legend tells of a horrifying monster that lurks within the depths of that cursed lake. For those of you that care, anyway.'

The Thoughts of Geoffrey 'Redsun' Collins

'Geoffrey! Come on, you're at least two and a half feet taller then her! And that's a guesstimate. Probably closer to three! Anyway, snap out of it, lover boy, keep your mind and senses alert. *Sigh* Males when they catch wind of a potential mate! Anyway, we've added new muscle to our roster now, Sirica, or as Talon likes to call her, 'Strange Girl'. Sirica should be flattered. At least Talon hasn't called her 'tasty' anything yet. My sister's bird took very kindly to King Dedede as well, something none of us saw coming. For the first time since Neo and Kirby were taken from us, I've managed to truly smile. But don't go thinking that I've gone soft. Any Bloodtooth demon that reveals itself to me shall be slaughtered where it stands! Unless Sir Meta Knight beats me to it, that is.'

The Thoughts of Kautounie Redsun

'Oh boy, this could get ugly... or at least very weird. I have often felt like a father to Kirby, and even to Tiff sometimes. Now that those feelings are out in the open, I've been feeling very protective of Sirica too, especially with the way Geoffrey's been looking at her! Hmph, the wannabe dashing gun nut. Though I do know Sirica is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. We have made plans to contact Garna and Dr. Knarks when we stop to rest, as to give them an update of current events, since we had already contacted the Halberd earlier during our travels. Best not to do to much at once, at least not yet. Who knows who or what else could be watching... listening. But, so far, so good. Even King Dedede, who I once considered nothing more then a lazy, fat, joke of a king has even managed to impress me. Maybe Tamoko was right about him. Even Tiff is tolerant of his company. Kirby my son, Neo my friend... hold on just a little longer. You are both strong, this I know. We're coming for you.'

The Thoughts of Sir Meta Knight

'That dang Meta Knight seems to have a way of attracting the kids of other Star Warriors too him! Even before he went and got a kid of his own! But at least this time that little girl is gonna be turnin' her attitude and her gun on Nightmare Enterprises' property rather then my castle, so I'll be glad to have her on my side. By the way, that mask Alphess Tamoko gone and gave me worked pretty damn good! I wonder what else I can do with that thing. But on a different note, I do really miss Escargoon. Sometimes I feel bad about the way I treated him in the past... and still treat him to this day. Oh look at what you've gone and done, now I'm gonna start cryin'!"

The Thoughts of King Dedede

'That was some crazy story Meta Knight, Tiff, and the Redsuns told me. So crazy I'd have a hard time not believing it. At least I'm not alone in my own battle against Nightmare any longer. Strange how those who were once your enemies can become your friends... seems to be a lot of that going around these days. I'm really glad I stumbled upon that odd bird. For all I know, I might not have found Meta Knight and his team without her. Now, it's on to battle... and victory!'

The Thoughts of Sirica

'I-I-I... really don't know... what... has happened to us... have we been... freed? I don't... think so... but I feel so... sleepy. All I... recall was being whipped... then nearly killed... by the spirit of... a dead... assassin... then being saved by a... star warrior ghost. Kau-Kautounie... please... come back... come back to me... I'll wait for you... right where I am. Everything is a blur... but... but we've got... too resist... got... too... re-resist..."

The Thoughts of Neo Redsun

*The Badlands, Path to Wight Lake*

Nighttime in the Badlands. No stars shone in the sky, the moon was unable to light your way, and there was always something to fear, be it a demon beast, the Bloodtooth, or even your own mind. The team had stopped at about midnight to rest, planning to pick up again at first light. No one was expected to get much sleep in this place, and sleeping too heavily could quite possibly cost you your life.

It was unwise to set up camp anywhere in the Bloodtooth Territory where your back was left open. Thankfully, finding some form of cover in the rocky and unforgiving land wasn't too difficult. They set up camp against a large, natural rock formation that jutted from the ground. Everyone had lined up with their backs against the stone, and it was agreed that from here on, there would be two people set up on watch at all times. Although it was a cold night, no one lit a fire, as they could not risk attracting attention to themselves.

"Damn it, I'm freezing." King Dedede grumbled.

"It's always cold here." Kautounie sighed, gently stroking Talon as the bird perched on her arm, "This place is filled with negative energy from all the Black Necromancy that has been practiced in every generation of the Bloodtooth Pack. It's why there's so many undead here."

"Thanks! That's real good to know!" the grumpy king scoffed, pulling his robes around him tighter.

"Why, you're welcome." Talon hooted as her feathers ruffed up.

It wasn't just the elements and the horrible creatures, alive and otherwise, that the team had to battle. There was also each other to contend with.

Sirica was sitting close to Meta Knight, as she knew the elder blue warrior the best out of the group and trusted him the most. She had her own cape wrapped around her, one hand firmly holding onto her weapon.

"Damn, girl. You're gonna freeze." Geoffrey said, gently draping a blanket over Sirica's shoulders.

The little commando smiled, accepting Geoffrey's gentlemanly offer. Kautounie, after getting Dedede to quit complaining, leaned over to the girl, explaining that she was already one of the "ladies". Geoffrey did the same for Tiff and Kautounie before sitting down himself, hunkering down and preparing for a chilling night. It was deathly silent, save for the nervous snorting and movement of the horses and occasional howl in the distance, not no mention Meta Knight's half-hidden sigh. But thankfully, the soft hum of Geoffrey's Xtransiear broke the tension.

"Hmmm, she's three minutes early." Meta Knight muttered, leaning forward to get a better look at Geoffrey, expectancy in his golden eyes.

All of the group crowded around the tiny screen, which was much easier said then done.

"Alrighty, you're on speaker, boss lady." Geoffrey announced, tapping the screen once.

The screen flickered and the familiar face of their halfling thief mistress friend appeared, though instead of her usual background of Star Warrior memorabilia in a comfy office, she was in the dark, foreboding laboratory that lurked beneath the Ravenwing Bog Lunatic Asylum. Escargoon was with her, though the mad doctor himself, his rat, nor Roaren were anywhere to be seen. From further inside the lair, loud roars and grunts could be heard, possibly from the Celestial Beasts. Garna just quirked an eyebrow at her friends, an insane smile forming on her face while she lightly stroked the little Meta Knight figurine she held in her hands.

"Made it too the Badlands in one piece, have we?" Garna began, "Sir Meta Knight, Lieutenant Geoffrey, my friends, you'll be pleased to know that the Wolf Pack is back on the prowl and Nightmare's life shall once again be-wait a sec, is that Sirica, daughter of the Lady Garlude, with you? Holy shit it is!" she finished, her voice becoming quicker paced and her eyes widening, in what one might assume was glee.

Sirica felt her already blushed cheeks turn a little redder. It was already quite a surprise to find two familiar faces on this planet, she hardly expected an admirer as well. At least... another admirer, and so soon too.

"Sirica? You mean the brat that destroyed his highness' castle?" Escargoon balked, turning his head to see just who Garna was talking to, all the while carefully setting down a test tube filled with only the Gods knew what.

"Yes, that one. And don't call her a-Escargoon... are you staring?" Garna asked, shifting her wide-eyed emerald gaze to the snail, "Don't you touch my Meta Knight!"

Escargoon didn't know what to do, other then turn his eyes away. How could anyone not stare? That girl was covered in scars, from torture and battle alike. As for the Meta Knight figure... well... he wouldn't be making that mistake again.

"Garna, focus!" Meta Knight said, his silky voice instantly snapping Garna's attention back to the business at hand.

The little rogue was understandably edgy. Anyone would be after loosing their home, business, and many good and loyal men and women... not to mention operating in the base of a creature that was, at one time, your worst enemy.

"Sorry, I got a little... star struck. Anyway, Sirica, it's a pleasure. Garna Riverdale, at your service. Thief Mistress, Grandmother of Assassins, Geoffrey's boss, Nightmare's worst nightmare, and huge admirer, supporter, and sponsor of Star Warriors everywhere, even if they don't know it."

"You'd be surprised," Geoffrey muttered to Sirica, seeing a look of disbelief on her face, "I know Meta Knight was."

King Dedede had to scoot closer to get a better look. His ears were not deceiving him, he had heard Escargoon's voice.

"Escargoon? What are you doin' in there?" King Dedede asked, genuinely surprised.

"Sire! It's great to hear your voice again! I thought for sure you'd be dead by now!" Escargoon cried out, tears welling in his eyes, "I thought I'd put all my skills in mad science to good use for a change, and with Nightmare's cash that Garna here has been siphoning, the possibilities are limitless. The best part is she hasn't gotten caught! Unlike you."

Meta Knight sighed, but he couldn't help but share in their glee. Slowly but surely, they were all making a comeback.

"It took some time, but with the help of my friends here I've got my network all set up again, may the souls who are no longer with us rest in peace," Garna sighed, leaning back in her chair, "So we can get back to business as usual. I've got my signal shielding the Halberd once again while your boys work, Meta Knight, but I'm pretty sure with our large, fire breathing friends lurking about the Crimson Woods, Nightmare will be leaving them alone! As another point of interest, you will be delighted to know that the parts needed to get your bird back in tippy top shape are on the way, the finest parts Nightmare's money can buy. And I'll admit, Dr. Knarks has done a good job keeping our lair in the dark, but I've given him a little extra insurance." she added, "As for our little chats, Nightmare and his concubine aren't getting shit! Wait a sec... that's all they're getting, actually now that I think about it." Garna muttered, thoughtfully, right before breaking into hysterical laughter.

Suddenly, a buzzing from the intercom on Garna's end ended her laugh almost as soon as it started. Escargoon looked a little downtrodden. He was going to join her. But with a sigh, the snail answered the intercom.

"What the-?" Kautounie muttered, her ears flicking.

"GAAAHHHHH! GARNA! Would you get your dog out of my incinerator?!" Dr. Knarks' voice could be heard, over what sounded like high-powered, roaring flames and heavy machinery in the background.

"Oi! Piss off, wanker! I'll be out in an hour!" another voice, unmistakably Roaren's, barked back.

"I've got evide-er-stuff that needs burning!" Dr. Knarks shouted over the intercom, "Escargoon, before I forget, pull that brown stuff off the burner before it's ruined! GAAHHHHH!"

"Doctor, I know what coffee is!" Escargoon shouted back.

Escargoon and Garna both looked to their friends on the monitor. The things they had to deal with. Perhaps not nearly as bad as the Bloodtooths, undead, and demons lurking about the Badlands, but still, there was a lot of work to be done.

"Lunatics truly are running the asylum, it seems." Meta Knight commented, rubbing the side of his head.

"We're still... working out the kinks in our relationship here." Garna explained once the intercom was shut off, "But you'd be amazed, Sir Meta Knight. For the most part Knarksy's been a good boy." she added, sounding quite perky and cheerful, "Not one attempt to stink me or Roaren with a needle thus far! Still, there's no telling what that little shit Nasher has been up to. I don't trust him!"

Those who knew Dr. Knarks stifled a laugh, but Sirica looked more confused then anything else. Even in the cold, dark land, humor could still find a way to creep in.

"Seriously, guys. Dusk only thinks I'm out of the game! The Wolf Pack is back in business and Dr. Knarks and Dr. Escargoon here have amassed quite a nice little army of virtuous beasties. Just please, Kautounie and Tiff. Cast that damn spell already. Dr. Knarks wont stop going on about it." Garna sighed.

"I didn't think anyone could be scarier then King Dedede or Nightmare... turns out I was wrong." Escargoon sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

"I think we'll get an opportunity soon enough." Tiff said, shifting to make herself more comfortable.

"Will do, Garna." Kautounie nodded.

"I'll have you know, I pray to the Great Dragon for the safe return of Kirby and Neo, and for you as well. I sincerely wish you all the best of luck, especially because you're going to need it." Garna said, matter-of-factly as she prepared to cut off communications, "As soon as I dig up any dirt on Nightmare's or Riley's plans, you'll be the first ones to know about it. See you all on the other side!"

"Alright, boss lady." Geoffrey nodded.

"Garna... thank you... for everything." Meta Knight added, "Past, future, and present."

"Hmhm, anything for you, Sir Meta Knight!" Garna purred, with a delighted, albeit, mischievous smile on her face.

Once everyone squeezed in their "good-byes", the soft glow of the Xtransiear screen flickered off, the tiny semblance of light it gave vanishing, plunging the group into darkness once again. Well, time to get what rest they could. Being ever the gentleman, Geoffrey took first watch along side Tiff. There wasn't much to see, considering that for the most part, it was completely black, however, haunting moans and howls echoed through the night sky. The Bloodtooth were on the hunt. It was going to be a long night.

*The Next Morning*

Geoffrey awoke, stiff and a little sore, his back plastered against the rock. He didn't remember much after Meta Knight and Talon had relieved him. When his vision cleared up enough to see straight, he realized where most of the pressure on his body was coming from.

"What the-?" he murmured, seeing that Kautounie, Tiff, and Sirica were all leaning against him, still sleeping.

King Dedede was just beginning to stir himself and Talon circled low to the ground overhead, using the dark gray fog for cover, but there was no sign of Sir Meta Knight, at least, not at first. Then Geoffrey looked up to see the old knight perched on top of the stone formation, cape wrapped around him, eyes bright pink with amusement of Geoffrey's predicament. A soft chuckle escaped Meta Knight, something he had not been able to do much of since Kirby was taken from him.

"Yeah, good morning to you too, buddy." Geoffrey sighed, shifting a little.

"Buddy?" Meta Knight asked, quizzically, "What happened to skipper?"

"We ain't on the Halberd anymore. It's back to buddy!"

Meta Knight's eyes returned to their usual golden color before jumping from his perch, letting Talon take his place as lookout. At least their first night in this haunted wasteland had gone uninterrupted.

After getting the ladies (all of them) up, the group ate a quick and cold breakfast before packing up. It wasn't exactly the best, but at one of King Dedede's grumbles, Tiff had retorted by reminding him about what Kirby and Neo must be going through right about now.

"Alright! Damn it, girlie, you win!" King Dedede groaned, "How does she do it? I've never been able to get the best of her! Even before Kirby showed up on Dreamland." he muttered to himself.

Tiff, satisfied, left to assist Kautounie in covering up their tracks and any trace that they were ever there while Geoffrey got their horses ready. As he did, he couldn't help but give Sirica a little smile, to which he was quickly redirected by Meta Knight. At this, Sirica couldn't help but laugh.

"Geoffrey, I admire my fellow gunmen, but... I'm already... you know..." Sirica explained, rather slowly.

"What?!" Geoffrey whined, "Who is it? Do I know him?"

At their conversation, Meta Knight couldn't help but listen in. He knew that girl was perfectly capable of taking care of herself; but this was getting good. The old blue warrior knew exactly who it was.

"You might. His name's Knuckle Joe." Sirica sighed, running her hand through her hair, "We met while on the job and we became friends, then it... sort of escalated."

Geoffrey couldn't believe this. Knuckle Joe?! That little twit never made any mention of having a cute commando chick for a girlfriend. At Geoffrey's shocked expression, Meta Knight just chuckled.

"That little shit!" the rogue cursed.

"Besides, I think you're a little tall for me." Sirica added.

"Told ya." Kautounie chimed in as she and Tiff returned to the group.

Condescendingly, Kautounie patted her brother's shoulder before taking Diesel's reins.

"But there's no reason why we can't be friends." Sirica said, climbing up onto the powerful gray stallion's back.

"Right, friends." Geoffrey sighed, his crush over before it really even got started.

A good thing too. They needed to keep their minds in the fight. Geoffrey climbed up on Gunner, finding that Meta Knight was already behind him. He looked around, confused. How did he do it?! That old knight was like a ninja at times. Naturally, it was quite a show to watch King Dedede get on his own horse, but he surprised everyone when he puffed himself up, much the same way Kirby would, and lifted into the air.

"I don't hear ya'll laughin' now!" King Dedede stated, pointing to the rest of you group, "Hey, why didn't I just do that in the first place, huh Merrick?" he asked, running his hand through his mount's mane.

"Talon, take fli-" Kautounie cut herself off.

The zwetoock's nose began to twitch as she scented the air and her ears flicked. Talon screeched angrily, as she had sensed it as well and soon enough, the horses began to react. Meta Knight, his Star Warrior instincts on overdrive, was next to point out that there were demon beasts fast approaching.

"Bloodtooths!" Kautounie snarled, taking the Defender off her back.

"Prepare for battle!" Meta Knight called, unsheathing Galaxia.

As soon as those words were uttered, several shapes could be seen moving in the fog. Bloodtooths to be certain. There was a moderate sized hunting pack, at least fourteen in number with several of it's members riding on black, demonic steeds with wild red manes and flaming hooves. The Bloodtooth hunters paused, knowing that they had found their prey.

Geoffrey, without missing a beat, pulled out his Smith and Wesson 500 revolver. Sirica's weapon shifted into it's main gun form, Tiff drew her wand, and finally, King Dedede armed himself with his iron mask and hammer.

"Great...we've got nightmares." Kautounie growled.

"Nightmare?" Sirica asked, taking aim at the closest target.

"Not Nightmare as in the tall, creepy guy who's trying to take over the universe, nightmares as in the fiery devil horses those Bloodtooths are riding!" Geoffrey explained.

Now that explanations and any confusion had been cleared up, the standoff could continue. Kautounie could tell that something was wrong. These dogs were not just leaping into the fight right away like they normally did. They were taking the time to analyze their targets. Finally, the leader of the Bloodtooth hunters, a lithe female with green streaks through her black mane, mounted upon the largest nightmare, issued her orders, speaking in zwetoock, _"Do not lay waste, not even to the Redsuns. Princess Miachang and Dusk ordered the Stars and Dragons to be taken alive! If possible..."_

Although King Dedede and Sirica were clueless as to what she was spouting off, Tiff, having learned a little zwetoock herself, had a pretty good idea of what they were saying, and the rest of the group could hear it as clear as day. This pack planned to take them captive.

 _"_ _Submit, Stars and Dragons, and the Demon shall spare your lives!"_ the commander shouted, _"Speak quickly! The Demon shall triumph whichever way you choose!"_

"Hmph, only a fool would trust the word of a Bloodtooth!" Kautounie growled.

"Well, we are on our way to Felldersai, but I for one wasn't planning on going in chains." Geoffrey snorted, "Any of you?" he added, looking around to the rest of his teammates.

The Bloodtooths moved in closer, and at once, all weapons were pointed at their leader. Meta Knight's eyes glowed crimson red, recognizing the leader of this raiding party to be one of the zwetoocks that had helped Dusk and Miachang invade the Halberd and take his son and Neo.

Finally, Kautounie motioned Diesel forward a few steps. She could feel the stallion tensing beneath her. Diesel, like his rider, was itching to send these Bloodtooth dogs straight to Hell. The young Redsun's thoughts of her sister consumed her, reminding her why she was here. Then Kautounie's hand began to glow with bright, golden light as she clenched the Defender.

 _"_ _Bloodtooth fell! The Star and the Dragon shall never bow to the Demon! This is for Neo... and for Kirby!"_ Kautounie shouted, in the zwetoock tongue.

Before the Bloodtooths could defend themselves, Kautounie flung an exceptionally powerful bolt of lightning from her sword right into the lead Bloodtooth's chest. There was a pained yelp as she fell from her steed, with a hole burned right through her body. Finally, just to make an extra point, Sirica fired her own weapon at the nightmare, as well as hitting a few of the other members of the attacking pack. The other Bloodtooths, now without their leader, looked alarmed and unsure what to do as they were being fired upon.

Now the fight was on. Even without their leader, the Bloodtooths still outnumbered them, but that was about to change. Now was also a good time to use that spell Dr. Knarks had gifted them with. As the Bloodtooth hoard charged forward in an unorganized manner, Kautounie and Tiff both started casting. In a flash of light and crack of lightning, three huge, white mastiffs with electric blue eyes appeared by Kautounie. They joined with their mounted summoner, prepared to join the charge, every bark echoed by the rumble of thunder. Kautounie wasn't sure how she knew what these things were, but a deep voice, highly reminiscent of Dr. Knarks', in the back of her mind, told her, _"Celestial Mastiffs."_

Tiff and the other members of the group were at first a little startled when two rather grotesque humanoid creatures with stony gray skin, sharp horns atop their heads, and large bat-like wings appeared next to her. As soon as these things showed their faces to the oncoming charge, the nightmares halted a reared up in panic, much to the frustration and confusion of their riders.

"What the-?" Tiff stammered, right before the voice in her head told her, _"Gargoyles."_

However, the Bloodtooths regrouped, their mages calling upon their own demon beasts to join them in battle. Huge golden armadillos capable of breathing fire and with skin like steel, horrendous centipedes with acid dripping from their mouths, dull brown wyverns with deadly barbs at the ends of their tails, and small, but ugly one-eyed heads with monstrously sharp teeth, Scarffies as they truly were.

"For Kirby." Meta Knight breathed quietly as everyone of his group lined up.

While they charged forward, Meta Knight hurled a sword beam to the oncoming Bloodtooths and demon beasts, already wiping out a fair chunk of them while King Dedede sent a surge of electricity from his now mechanized hammer, causing the already unorganized advance by the Bloodtooth to be thrown into complete chaos. Then, both sides clashed violently on the battlefield; spells and bullets sped through the air, echoed by the clang of steel on steel and the pounding of sharp hooves on solid ground and into flesh.

Tiff was careful to stay at a distance, using ranged combat and healing spells while her summoned celestial beasts did the fighting. Even though she didn't exactly like Dr. Knarks, the girl had to admit, his gargoyles were a force to be reckoned with, as their clawed hands and powerful tails ripped through the Bloodtooth's wyverns that had tried to knock the Star Warriors and Redsuns from their horses while their stony skin protected them from the claws, poison, and fire of their attackers like armor.

"I-I never thought I had it in me." Tiff muttered to herself, a hopeful smile appearing on her face, right before sending a set of four Magic Missiles for the Bloodtooth rider that rounded on Geoffrey and Meta Knight.

"Thanks, Tiff!" Geoffrey shouted, right before the deafening 'BANG' of his hand cannon splattered one nightmare in several places all over the ground, right before it burst into flames.

"Good shot." Meta Knight complemented, before sticking Galaxia right into the open mouth of a giant centipede as it prepared to spit acid... at Geoffrey.

The demon beast squealed in pain, the acid dripping from it's wound and mouth leaving not a scratch on the sacred golden blade, before it fell to the ground and disintegrated into nothingness. Meta Knight grunted, having had a few drops of the acid land on his arm, but a mere flesh wound compared to the demon. Geoffrey was startled for a moment as Gunner shifted beneath him, chomping at the bit.

"Not... bad yourself, buddy." Geoffrey complemented, feeling his throat become a tad dry, "Come on, Gunner, heyaa!"

With a snort, Gunner galloped forward, stomping on a Scarffy and a Bloodtooth warrior, snuffing both of them with his powerful hooves, as Meta Knight sent another sword beam into the fray, slicing one armadillo monster in half, before it had a chance to unleash it's flames.

Meanwhile, Diesel stopped with a snort as one beast was destroyed, but reared up to kick another armadillo as it shuffled forward, flames spilling from it's maw. Sirica, not used to riding and Diesel's movements, jumped off the stallion's back. She could fight better from the ground, anyway.

"Sirica!" Kautounie shouted, slicing off the monster's head with a single stroke of the Defender.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine!" Sirica called back.

The commando shot two more demon beasts, then as soon as a Bloodtooth rider came within range, Sirica transformed her gun into it's sword form. With precision and grace, the girl rolled out of the way of the nightmare's fiery breath. Once the beast was in range, Sirica cut off the nightmare's leg, leaving the devil steed to topple on top of it's rider before shifting her weapon yet again and holding it over her shoulder.

Ignoring the screams and neighs of the nightmare behind her, Sirica steeled herself before sending a rather large missile for one of the few remaining wyverns, obliterating the beast and leaving Tiff's Gargoyles free.

"Lets see you one up that one, Geoffrey." Sirica muttered to herself with a smirk.

Now that there wasn't another rider, (an inexperienced one at that,) to worry about, Kautounie and Diesel trampled through the Bloodtooth forces, though not unscathed. War horse and rider were covered in an array of gashes, bites, and stings, but neither one was ready to stop the fight. Kautounie's summoned mastiffs had proven to be quite useful, as their electric breath had quite an interesting effect on the demon beasts, nearly melting them as though they were soaked with holy water.

"Good dogs!" Kautounie called, while running another Bloodtooth through, before she could cast another spell.

King Dedede slammed his mallet against the hard shell of a large centipede, causing a jet of acidic blood to squirt from it's wounds. The Dreamlander King braced himself, preparing for the pain, only to find that a sudden flash of fire that was raised in front of him absorbed the hit.

"Hey, where did that come from?!" King Dedede found himself asking.

Sure enough, Tiff galloped past, giving the king a quick nod before sending her gargoyles to their next target. But King Dedede didn't have enough time to contemplate Tiff's kindness, as a bolt of fire summoned by one of the remaining Bloodtooth mages sent the king plummeting to the ground, leaving his ride to run right past him. As he started to get up, the armored king could hear several growls, then he realized where they were coming from. King Dedede was surrounded by at least twelve scarffies, scarffies that looked as though they had not been fed for a while, to be exact.

"Ah hell no!" King Dedede shouted, remembering all too well what these little monsters had done to him in the past.

The King hefted his hammer and spun around, taking out three of the small, but dangerous monsters. One of the little fiends managed to sink his fangs in Dedede's arm, causing the king to yelp in pain, though a rumble of thunder and snarl later, one of Kautounie's white mastiffs tore the scarrfy off and began to shake it's head while the little monster was clenched in it's jaws. Next, King Dedede, not knowing how exactly he managed it, flipped open one end of his two-ton hammer, revealing a red hot glow right before unleashing a stream of fire at the remainder of the demon beasts.

"Just remember who is king around here!" King Dedede snorted, "Now where's that Merrick at?! Or that damn werewolf that went and flung her spell at me?"

As the king looked around, he quickly found the Bloodtooth that had attacked him earlier. With a roar, the mage leaped forward, claws out. Suddenly, a screech from above and a blur of rust red halted King Dedede's attacker. Now he could see who it was. Talon. The owl's claws and feathers were coated in sticky red blood from where she had torn at the Bloodtooth's eyes, all the while spatters went flying with every flap of the bird's wings.

"That's for my Neo!" Talon screeched, finishing by running her talons down the Bloodtooth's neck, drenching her feathers with thick, red liquid, "And that's for my sister, my brother, and my King Dedede!"

Satisfied, Talon took off into the sky, locking onto her next target with angry amber eyes.

A few more loud shots from Geoffrey's revolver, a shimmering sword beam from Meta Knight, and a crackle of lightning from Kautounie, and the battle was coming to a close. During the fight, one of Kautounie's Celestial Mastiffs was killed by a loose nightmare; trampled to death, and the sting of the last wyvern's tail and a fireball from a Bloodtooth brought Tiff's gargoyles down to the ground as well. The slain Celestial Beasts vanished in a plume of pale, golden light. It was a bit heartbreaking for the mages that summoned them, but at least they died honorably.

Geoffrey fired his last shot from Nivendethas while Meta Knight sent a sword beam for the winged fiend. The wyvern wasn't even able to crash to the ground before exploding. Sirica strode around the battlefield, shooting anything that might have had a chance to get up and start fighting again, however, there was still one nightmare and rider left, making a swift retreat, catching both Meta Knight's and Kautounie's attention.

"Wait, Meta Knight!" Geoffrey called when the old blue puffball leaped from Gunner's back and spread his wings while Kautounie matched Meta Knight's speed on her horse, with Talon right on their tails.

Before any of the others could assist, Meta Knight and Kautounie had both already closed in on their target. The Bloodtooth twisted around, flinging a lightning bolt over her shoulder, narrowly missing Diesel, though when she turned around, Meta Knight was already speeding towards her, Galaxia pointed out in front of him.

The demonic horse stopped and reared up, dumping her rider to the ground. Meta Knight grunted as burning ember hooves scraped across his body, and the beast's unnaturally sharp teeth bit into his left wing. Both demon and Star Warrior toppled to the hard, stony ground. The old warrior pulled Galaxia out of the nightmare, causing the horse to grunt and snort wildly in pain as it flailed it's burning hooves. Just as the beast prepared to breathe it's fiery breath, Meta Knight beheaded the fiend with a single downward slash. There was a flash of fire, and no trace left of the nightmare.

The Bloodtooth hissed loudly at Meta Knight, cursing at him in the zwetoock tongue, _"The Demon will rule over the Stars and Dragons, as is our right, Untamed One!"_

Meta Knight didn't look at all intimidated by her claim. He'd survived countless battles and several wars. He had survived being a double agent in Castle Dedede, training and mentoring Kirby right under the king's nose when it had been forbidden. But, it might have had something to do with the fact that Diesel was galloping right behind her. The witch didn't have time to react as the powerful stallion trampled her into the ground. A pained howl and more cursing proved that Diesel and Kautounie had hit their target. For good measure, Talon landed on top of the wounded zwetoock, digging her claws into the dog's neck. Meta Knight, one wing held limp at his side, and Kautounie approached, the later of the two dismounting her horse.

"Dusk... was... a fool... to want... you alive, Untamed One." the Bloodtooth zwetoock panted, her eyes growing fearful as both the Galaxia and the Defender were leveled to her.

"Yeah, that's the first right thing you've said right since we met, Bloodtooth!" Kautounie snarled.

As the others in the group gathered around, the doomed Bloodtooth just started to laugh. She knew that she was going to die, might as well get a rise out of the dragons and stars.

"Hmhmhmhmmmm... the little ones grow... weaker by the day. It is highly... unlikely... that they will remember who you even are... if you ever get to them," she hissed with a sneer, "Or... even who they are for that matter. The Gray Demon... has taken... your cub as his own, Untamed One. As for the little dragon... I'm sure a male... has gotten to her by now."

Meta Knight quivered violently beneath his armor his eyes perverting bloody red as the Bloodtooth laughed, her smile growing wider and wider. But Kautounie had had enough.

"NOOOOOO!" Kautounie roared, driving the both of the Defender blades into the Bloodtooth's chest, killing her in an instant.

Kautounie was spattered with thick, crimson droplets, but she didn't care. The elder zwetoock fell to her knees, breathing heavily as tears streamed down her face. She didn't even seem to notice when Tiff spread her healing spell over the group, curing them of their injuries. Meta Knight, although usually not one for killing a helpless target had limited sympathy, meaning zero. How dare that vile thing talk about Neo and Kirby that way.

"What-what did she mean... exactly?" Tiff asked, concern heavy in her voice.

"You might be better not knowing." Kautounie breathed heavily, wiping away her tears.

The Redsuns and Star Warriors took a moment to catch their breath, even as the smell of death and decay was becoming heavy in the smoky air and fog. As soon as the battle ended, the remaining celestial beasts, no longer being needed, vanished in a flash of light. At least the next time they got online with the mad doctor Tiff and Kautounie could inform him of the spell's success.

Once everyone was back on their feet, they sorted through the Bloodtooth's packs and supplies, turning up mostly inedible food, with the acceptation of some preserved goblin meat, which only Kautounie could make any use of. However, there were a few things of interest, Star Warrior armor, that was worn as a decoration more then anything else, a few gold dragons, a handful of ordinary gemstones, some knives made of bone, and of course, replicas of Nightmare's medallion.

"We better burn all these carcasses. It'll only be a matter of time before they're transformed." Kautounie warned.

"This place keeps getting' creepier and creepier." King Dedede muttered, holding out his arm for Talon to perch.

"Sorry for the interruption, Talon." Meta Knight said, transforming his wings back into his cape before wrapping himself up in it, "Lead the way, my friend."

With the battle over and the pile of dead lit ablaze, the team stayed put only long enough to get patched up by Tiff before they mounted up and galloped as fast as they could away from the sight of the fight. Only when they were several miles away did the group slow down to let their horses rest. Talon circled up above them, just to make sure they hadn't strayed. Although difficult to see through the fog, Tiff soon noticed that they were actually riding down a distinct path. More so, Meta Knight, Sirica, Kautounie, and Geoffrey could confirm that it was well used. There were fresh tracks, not even quite a day old, possibly from the raiding party they encountered earlier that morning. It was difficult to tell what time of day it was, as there was only ever dark and darker in the sky.

"We ride the length of the day, come nightfall, we rest." Meta Knight ordered, firmly.

"Oh look at you, callin' the shots around here." King Dedede scoffed, "Did you forget that I'm king?"

Meta Knight just glanced to the portly penguin, getting a little bit of pleasure from the nervous reaction he got in return. He had been in this situation many times, plus he even knew the Badlands. King Dedede, not so much.

"Alright... but that was my idea too!" King Dedede retorted.

"Sure it was." Sirica spat, sarcastically, earning an agreeing nod from Tiff.

*Much later, midnight or so*

Sirica and Meta Knight were the first ones on watch that night. There wasn't much shelter to be found, save for a few gnarled trees and boulders, but it would have to do. Through the slightly thinning clouds, Meta Knight could make out a faint glimmer of light in the cosmos above. Even in this evil place, there was still light and beauty.

"Was it like this, Meta Knight?" Sirica asked, "When you and my mother were sent to retrieve Galaxia?"

"Not exactly." Meta Knight answered, "It was much warmer where we were."

Sirica couldn't help but stifle a small laugh. Meta Knight's bluntness; she should have expected it.

"We also didn't have an entire group of complete nutcases!" Meta Knight added, "No, wait, I can't really say that. There was Sir Falspar... and even Sir Jecra, great warrior that he was. Those two could be trouble." he mentioned with a chuckle.

The elder blue warrior drew Galaxia from it's sheath, looking at the shining golden steel. He sighed heavily. Garlude had given her life for him so that he may wield that sword.

"Your mother was very brave, Sirica. She also had something not too many in this galaxy have." Meta Knight explained, "Deep down, Garlude had a gentle heart. She loved you more then anything. I'd rather you remember her for who she was... and still is."

"I know. She was a true warrior to the very end." Sirica sighed, "You knew this... and so did Galaxia. And I know Kirby loves you too. I remember the way he battled the Great Monster on your behalf. I'm glad to be with you, Sir Meta Knight, to be a part of this."

The two of them sat in silence for a short while, listening to the sounds of wolf howls and growls in the distance. Meta Knight made to put Galaxia away, when a reflection in the blade coming from behind him caught his attention. At first he thought it might have been Sirica, but that couldn't be. She was sitting right next to him.

 _"_ _Do you want to live forever?"_ a soft, gentle voice whispered in Meta Knight's ear.

With a start, Meta Knight looked over his shoulder, his eyes flashing multiple colors at once. There was nothing there, but he knew that voice. But it couldn't be. She was long dead.

"Garlude?" Meta Knight muttered, so quietly even Sirica didn't hear him.

At the slightest sound approaching, Meta Knight suddenly whipped out Galaxia and took a fighting stance with a grunt.

"Whoa, whoa, easy there buddy! We're just coming to give you two a rest!" Geoffrey explained, quite startled by his blue friend's sudden aggression.

Meta Knight lowered his weapon when he saw it was just Geoffrey and Kautounie come to relieve him and Sirica. Though to be fair, the trigger happy commando was a mite startled by Meta Knight's overreaction.

"Geez, you're acting like you just saw a ghost." Sirica commented.

"Actually, I think I have." Meta Knight said, dryly.

Although Geoffrey and Sirica had more of that "whatever" attitude, Kautounie carefully scanned the area, her fur bristling slightly. There was something else out there, but it was not malevolent in any way. In fact, it's presence began to calm Kautounie down. Once Geoffrey and Kautounie were settled into their watch duty, Meta Knight and Sirica curled up in their bedrolls to get what sleep they could. Sirica fell asleep rather quickly, one hand on her gun, just in case; smart girl. Though when Meta Knight was getting ready to close his eyes, a faintly visible soft light in the distance caught his attention. It was vaguely humanoid in shape, female, with her lavender hair tied back in a ponytail. Her light blue dress and pink cape flowed in an ethereal way, emphasizing her haunting beauty. When she turned to face Meta Knight, he could see the tiara around her head. Now his heart was pounding. This just couldn't be, but it was.

"Lady Garlude!" Meta Knight breathed.

She smiled softly, right before the light vanished, leaving Meta Knight in the dark once again. Meta Knight wasn't sure if he was just seeing things, of if she was really there, watching over them somehow. He pulled his cape around himself tighter, sighing heavily. The tough old knight could feel something warm brush up against him, but he quickly realized that it was his overactive mind playing tricks again.

"Kirby, my son. You're father is coming for you. And he is not alone... neither are you. Hold on for me..."

*Castle Prescott, Library*

Riley smirked to herself, carefully setting down her pen and admiring the spell written upon the parchment in front of her. Masher 2.0 had failed, therefor, he could not be named the most powerful of Nightmare's beasts. But there was another, a fiend that had kept hope out of reach of the Star Warriors for near a thousand years... if not more, until that one, fateful day.

The witch leaped out of her chair with a start, snatching up her staff, but to her relief, it was only Nightmare come knocking, in his human guise, with a wolfwrath by his side. The beast in question had a harness around it's body with a single pack off to the side.

"You said you had something that I'd like, Miss Prescott?" Nightmare asked, his soft hiss filling the entire room.

"Hmhm, as the greatest demonologist in the Galaxy and a fine mage in your own right, how do you think our fiercest general yet would like this?" Riley asked, levitating the parchment off of the desk and handing it to Nightmare, "With his help, those rebels should be put to a screeching halt, Your Grace. Hmph, since I'm not exactly sure how long Dusk will last."

Nightmare nodded, muttering in agreement. Dusk was a good asset, if insubordinate, but it was always good to have a backup plan, just in case. A thin grin spread across the demon lord's face, and it only became wider and wider. Meanwhile, Glasya watched from the doorway, glowering. When the Wolfwrath turned around, Glasya skulked off with a snort.

"An old friend of Sir Meta Knight's... and the Lady Garlude!" Riley purred with a sneer, "He wants his trinket back."

"Impressive, my dear. Where were you all those years ago?" Nightmare asked, still not looking up from the scroll, "I really could have used your assistance then."

"In Hell." Riley answered, with a deep sigh, "No really, in Hell." she said again, receiving a disbelieving look from her lord, "My mother was a succubus from the Seventh Ring, she had sole custody of me throughout most of my life until I came of age. She was sort of a bitch though, now that I think about it."

"Oh, really now?" Nightmare muttered, quirking an eyebrow.

 _"_ _Hey, don't talk about mommy that way!"_ Fey snapped in the back of Riley's mind.

 _"_ _Fey, must you call her 'mommy'?"_ Weston sighed.

Riley groaned audibly, but didn't do anything more aside from that. Once Nightmare gave his final okay, the witch called the wolfwrath over to her. Riley carefully rolled up the scroll and sealed it. She couldn't leave her lord, so she needed a courier, a powerful one at that. The Bloodtooths, after all, did not believe in the use of technology, therefore, one would have to use old fashioned methods.

"Monique." Riley purred, running her dainty, manicured hand through the dangerous beast's soft, red fur, "Take this to her majesty, Alphess Ashiega Bloodtooth." she instructed, putting the scroll into the saddlebag the wolfwrath carried, "Make sure only she gets it. Kill any others who even try to take it, and should you be compromised, burn it!"

With a growl, the Wolfwrath bowed to both Riley and Nightmare, "Your Grace, Milady, it shall be done!"

Riley waved her staff in the air, then slit open a portal in the floor, ushering the wolfwrath, Monique, through. Once the beast was gone, the portal sealed shut. However, Nightmare turned to Riley with an unsure look on his face.

"You did send her to the right place, correct?" Nightmare sighed, remembering all to well of Riley's 'mishaps' with anything having to do with teleportation and dimensional travel.

"Yes, Your Grace." Riley sighed, before sending everything in the library back to it's rightful place with a wave of her hand before she and her lord left.

*The Dead Mountain, Badlands*

Monique took a look behind her as the portal sealed itself shut, leaving her on the high slopes of the Dead Mountain in the heart of the Bloodtooth camp. She ignored the yips and barks around her from the surrounding zwetoocks, her eyes focused on the large tent in front of her. The wolfwrath grinned, looking up to the rusty, blood smeared star warrior armor that had been used to decorate the outside of the alphess' tent. With a snort, Monique stepped inside.

The first thing someone would notice would be the cavern leading into the volcano, which was concealed by the tent. There were two crude thrones made of bones, hides, and bits of metal and the stony floor was covered in filthy fur pelts and dead vegetation. There was no sign of the Alphess Bloodtooth or her mate.

"Mother's not here." said a voice from behind Monique, causing the wolfwrath to jump in surprise.

Monique growled, prepared to breathe her explosive, fiery breath, but stopped herself before loosing control when she saw who she was addressing.

A black pelted female zwetoock stepped inside, her mane colored dark red and purple. In her hands she held a bow and had a quiver of arrows on her back. She was very thin and ragged, wearing very little save for a loincloth, gold tribal jewelry, and several red feathers in her mane. Like most elite Bloodtooths, she carried a star warrior's mask by her side as a trophy and a replica of Nightmare's pendent. Patches of fur were missing from her face, shoulders, and legs. Monique growled again, tensing, prepared to do whatever it took to protect the valuable treasure Riley had entrusted her with. She knew this zwetoock, Kyndyru, first daughter of the Alphess Bloodtooth, and Miachang's older sister. And where she was, her brute of a mate was never far behind.

"Monique, this can only mean one thing, the Chimera has sent you." Kyndyru surmised, "Mother had mentioned to expect a courier. She's inside the mountain and wont be back for three days time. Whatever you have for her, you can give to me."

As the Bloodtooth princess strode forward, reaching out for the saddlebag harnessed onto Monique, the wolfwrath snarled and snapped her jaws. Not wanting to be bitten by those dangerous fangs, Kyndyru wisely stepped back, though the commotion did bring her rather large, black furred, muscular mate to her side. He growled at the wolfwrath while stroking his mate, but Monique didn't budge.

"I am to give this to the Alphess Bloodtooth, and the Alphess Bloodtooth alone!" Monique snarled, "I'll wait three days time, three weeks time, three months time for the Alphess Bloodtooth to return."

Monique was a dedicated courier and would not give into temptation. She chose a spot, next to the open cavern tunnel, and waited, ignoring Princess Kyndyru and her mate.

*Castle Prescott, Throne Room*

Nightmare was anxious to return to his own work. With the destruction of his warships during the assault on Horva, he new he needed to get better, stronger materials. His warships were made of steel, so he would get the hardest steel there was to be found in the Galaxy; steel smelted and forged by dragon fire, sometimes called Dragon Scale. It was rare, and there was only one place to get it; Horva. But, as His Grace and Riley were about to discover as they entered the throne room, there was a hitch in their plans.

Waiting for them by the door was a terrified occultist messenger, and the harsh glares he received from Nightmare and Riley were not about to help him keep his calm.

"Your Grace... Mi-Milady. T-t-t-there's... there's something... you need to know." the occultist choked out at last.

"What?!" Nightmare hissed, "Speak quickly."

"The shipment never came, t-the funds were-were never sent."

Now Nightmare was infuriated, shifting back into his actual form, as large as the confines of the throne room would allow. His jagged teeth clenched together as his taloned hands slammed into the stone floor. He loomed right in front of the messenger, his eyes glowing red beneath his shades.

"Just what are you telling me?!" Nightmare snapped.

"Y-y-your Dragon Scale... the funds were never sent for them, My Liege."

"I watched you, I know damn well you sent those funds to your men!" Riley growled.

Nightmare snarled again. He had considered killing the messenger, but he might wait for later. An idea crossed his mind. There was only one person he knew of that could work this fast. But it was impossible. The girl's base was destroyed, along with all her equipment and information... or so he had thought. With a wave of his hand, Nightmare flipped out the massive monitors into the throne room to check a few things. At once he knew exactly what had happened.

"Oh hell no! It...can't...be...!"

"What is it, Your Grace?" Riley asked.

"DUSK!" Nightmare roared, scraping his claws along the monitor in his anger.

::TO BE CONTINUED::

 **Author's Notes::** Here's chapter 38! And what have we here? A little comedy and a lot of action, I should think. I really wanted to use more of the Kirby-verse Demon Beasts, especially since they're in a place filled negative energy and pure evil. I never could find any official names, but there are the armadillos that make an appearance in the anime, and the centipedes. Nightmares, as many of you might know, are actually my favorite mythical horse, (Besides, Holy Nightmare has such an ego attached to him, I'm sure he'd be quite proud to have a demon beast named after him,) even though they're not a Kirby enemy, I figured they'd work for this case. But I think the Scarffies take the cake, especially considering who they round on! And... AND, we get to see some more Celestial Beast action as well. Those who have been keeping up with IYNM know Razorbeak the Gryphon quite well already, but here we have the Celestial Mastiff, which is a good aligned answer to the Hell Hound; loyal to their summoner, powerful, and capable of breathing lightning instead of fire. However, Celestial Mastiffs aren't as well armored as some other Celestial Beasts. Like the Hell Hound, there is a chance of summoning a Greater Celestial Mastiff. *nudge, nudge* The other Celestial Beast I thought was very appropriate, considering the swarm of demons upon our heroes, Gargoyles. The Gargoyle was originally designed to frighten off evil spirits and demons with their terrifying visage. Dr. Knarks' Gargoyles; Capable of flight, stony skin works like armor, and demon beasts fear them and unless commanded by a strong leader OR outnumber the gargoyle greatly, demon beasts will not want to go anywhere near a gargoyle. The downside, Gargoyles detest water, as it softens their stony skin. I figure as we get more celestial beasts, I'll put a little info about them in the description.

Anyways, Sirica gets in quite a bit of action herself, and Geoffrey has a little bit of a crush on her... until it's shattered, that is. And before you bitch at me, I happen to think Sirica and Knuckle Joe would be quite the cute, ass-kicking couple, plus it makes sense! They met on the job, they have shared interests, and I could see those two working together as more then just friends, to which Geoffrey is still disappointed, even though Kautounie has to keep reminding him that it would never work out between them.

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	40. Sick Minds Think Alike

In You're Nightmares, Sick Minds Think Alike

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Disturbing Torture Sequences, as well as some Wings, (Yes, you heard me right, Wings).

*Felldersai Taa*

Two o'clock in the morning?! That's when they decide to come calling? Well, Miachang couldn't bitch him out for this, as when His Grace summons you, you better come, or else. Dusk drowsily stumbled into the throne room of Felldersai, his Mohawk an absolute mess, and only wearing his shoulder guards, having left his cape down in Kirby's and Neo's cell. In his mouth was a smoking cigarette, possibly to help him wake up. The bounty hunter groaned, having at first thought himself alone, then noticing the slight movement in the walls, indicating that Gerard must have been hanging around. Worse yet, he had brought by a few friends to watch the show.

"Ahhh, what have we done today to piss off our boss?" Gerard asked, in the snarkiest tone he could manage while sliding out of the stone walls.

"Seems to me like our little gray friend here is dancing a rather thin line between Holy Nightmare's favor and being accused of treason through sabotage." said another voice, one just as slick as Gerard's though not nearly as grizzled.

Dusk stopped dead in his tracks and turned around. He knew that voice. It belonged to only one person that he knew of, a man that died five years ago when Nightmare's deep space fortress was obliterated. Finally, before the gray puffball's eyes, a very short man sifted through the walls, levitating in the air to match Gerard's height. He was wearing a dark blue business suit with a tie and black shades. His hair was now ghostly purple, the streaks of green within creating a rather eerie effect. The ghost smiled at Dusk, a combination of politeness and cleverness on his face.

"Customer Service? You too?" Dusk asked, tossing his half smoked cigarette away, "Forgive me if I try not to associate myself with con artists, even dead ones. And if you think you'll be able to rip me off the way you have other dictators and tyrants in the past, think again! By the way, I'll have you know that in his glorious return, Nightmare's already replaced you with a concubine. Just thought you ought to know." he added.

The spirit of Customer Service's smile turned into a glower, though Gerard just laughed. A bounty hunter, an assassin, and a con artist, all in the same room. It sounded like the start of a really bad joke.

"Need I remind you about you're current standing with His Grace after that alleged "Star Warrior Spy" incident a few days ago?" Gerard snickered.

"Oh...hmhmhmhmmmm... that would have been a good one... Holy Nightmare might have even believed you, Dusk... if you had bothered to work it out." Customer Service added on, pushing up his glasses.

"The man was obviously sabotaging His Grace. Here I go through the trouble to get Kirby alive, and the moron tries to starve him to death in his cage." Dusk retorted, "Which reminds me. As I recall, Customer Service, your record for holding onto Kirby successfully was what? Thirty seconds? Maybe?" he added.

At Customer Service's silence, Dusk let out a satisfied grunt before turning away. Thankfully, the spirit's forms vanished, though he could still feel their presence in the room with him.

"Well, well, well then. As for you, Dusk, I think you've been leaving our boss on hold for a little too long. And you and I both know he doesn't like that. Hmhmhmhhmmmmmm. Have fun." Customer Service's voice laughed.

Dusk ignored the ghost's taunting. He knew what he was doing. For the most part, the bulk of his plan was working out. With a sigh, the bounty hunter switched on the monitor and waited, his heart fluttering with both nervous energy and excitement. The sooner he could get paid, the better.

Finally, Nightmare and Riley's images appeared on the other end, though the large scratches across the screen were a little distracting.

"Your Grace, Milady." Dusk greeted, keeping his voice as calm as possible while he bowed, "Before you ask, they're still safe and alive down in the dungeons, just as per your request, Your Grace. I can show you if you like."

Well, a little good news for Nightmare, he didn't look quite as furious, though that really wasn't saying much.

"Well, there are some things I guess you can do, Dusk. But it seems that there are some you can't!" Nightmare snarled.

"I-I don't understand. By the next day or by next week or month, you'll have your prisoners. One way or another those rebels will deliver themselves to Felldersai Taa." Dusk assured the dark overlord, "My scouts report that they're already on their way. Though, there is the question of my... unfinished Monster Transporter." he added with a sigh, making a not-so-subtle hint.

Now Nightmare just smiled, causing Dusk to cringe. Yes, the demon lord was frightening when he looked angry, but even more so when you knew he was angry, yet he suddenly went all calm and placid. Almost like shaking up a jar of wasps, knowing that eventually, the lid was going to fly right off.

"Dusk... Dusk... Gray One, as our mutual furry friends call you, I have every confidence in your talents to bring me Kirby and his rebels to me alive." Nightmare purred.

"You do?" Dusk asked, confused, having been under the impression that Nightmare would rather just have him killed and be done with him, "I mean... of course you do. It's my job, and I live to serve the highest price... which of course means you, Milord."

"However... something interesting has happened." Nightmare continued, "Riley my dear... would you care to explain? I don't think I am in any emotional state to explain."

Dusk became a little more nervous. Nightmare hardly ever handed the con over to another, with the exception of Customer Service, when the scammer was alive, that was. With a smile, Riley stepped forward.

"His Grace sent for a shipment of Dragon Scale... and apparently the payments never got though. More still, that very same Dragon Scale has been rerouted elsewhere. Where? We can't find out, because whenever we search for it, The Big Bang Theory marathon starts up again!" Riley shouted.

"Excuse me?" Dusk questioned, confused as to what any of this had to do with him, "Well, at least it's not That 70's Show. I never could stand that show."

"Dusk! What Riley and myself are saying is that the little fishwife you claimed to have neutralized is back in business!" Nightmare growled, his shoulders shuddering in his anger.

No... no. It just couldn't be! Dusk had been so careful. This had to be a mistake.

"I-I-I don't understand. Her equipment was destroyed. Come to think of it, her own wolfwrath destroyed quite a bit of it before I could. Then once the Destroyers came... well, we all know how it goes from there." Dusk explained, frantically, "And anything relating to the Wolf Pack that could be salvaged I turned over to your forces. Hell, I even had her star warrior memorabilia obliterated, including that damn painting of that old goat, Sir Arthur! But-but Garna is without her base, without her network, I can't see how-"

"Enough, Dusk! That little cretin is somehow stealing from me again. You know her best out of any of us plus you seem to have time to twiddle your thumbs. Do something about it!" Nightmare hissed.

"Yes... as His Grace and the Harpy command." Dusk stated, bowing once again.

Before Riley could complain about Dusk's obvious insult, the communications were shut off, much to the gray bounty hunter's relief. From behind him, Dusk could hear Gerard and Customer Service, enjoying a good laugh at his expense.

"I wouldn't be laughing if I were you!" Dusk snorted, "Customer Service, ever wonder where those... missing payments ended up? Oh, King Dedede did pay some of his bills alright, on the rare occasion. They were merely intercepted by that little shit His Grace and Riley were talking about just now." he added, "And you, Gerard... who do you think... warned him about your coming as soon as she sniffed out your little plot? Oh yes, you know who I'm talking about. The one who gave you... that!" Dusk growled, pointing to the hole in the assassin's chest.

At that statement, both Gerard and Customer Service clammed up. Dusk ran his hand through his mane before walking back to his room to get some sleep. If Kirby was to be trained properly, daddy would need his rest as well. So, while working with the Bloodtooths to break both Kirby and Neo, he would also have to go to cyber war with Garna Riverdale. Plus there was the matter of completing his monster transporter. The bounty hunter had considered asking for an increase of his pay, but he was treading on thin ice as it is. Either way in the end, Dusk knew he would get what he wanted, even if he himself had to take it right out from under Nightmare's crooked nose.

*Down in the Dungeons*

Kirby and Neo had no way of telling what time of day it was, only that they must have been asleep for some time. The two of them were groggy and disoriented, but thankfully, someone had left the light on in their cell, so at the very least they could see. Although pain still throbbed in their wounds, both zwetoock and star warrior managed to sit up.

"Poyo? Medi Kni? Daddy?" Kirby asked, looking around as he hugged the cape draped over his shoulders more tightly around him.

It was then he realized that this wasn't Meta Knight's cape. This one was black, with the Nightmare Enterprises sigil on it. Now Kirby only looked more downtrodden. He knew he had seen Meta Knight. The old warrior was right there with him... wasn't he?

"Kirby... I... I think last night... we were drugged." Neo deduced, as she rubbed her head in a vain attempt to clear away the grogginess, "I saw my sister... and Sir Meta Knight... but they weren't real. It must have been in the food or water. That's the... only possible ex-explanation."

With a saddened 'poyo', Kirby cuddled against Neo's side and closed his eyes. The young Redsun moved her hand over the pink puffball's forehead, feeling that it was still uncomfortably warm. Somehow or another, Neo would need to keep him calm. That fever was only going to get worse if he didn't get enough rest.

"You know... if our captors... have stooped too... drugging us... already, that means they're getting desperate." she mentioned, managing a weak smile while gently stroking the little star warrior's head.

While alone for the time being and with the light on, Neo decided to take a look at the extent of Kirby's injuries. Gingerly, she removed the cape Kirby had entangled himself in, though the healer couldn't help but feel a little bad when Kirby began to shiver. The crisscrossed wounds on the pink puffball's back caused by the lashes were completely scabbed over and slowly healing, though that didn't take away any discomfort.

"Poyo... Neo... shoulders... it hurts." Kirby chirped, looking up to the zwetoock cub with sad, liquid eyes.

"I-I-I know it hurts." Neo said gently, taking another look, "Mine still hurt too."

The second time around, she noticed something, something she didn't see before. On the little star warrior's shoulders were two small, barely visible bumps, that had not been caused by any torture they had endured as of yet, at least not that Neo knew of, anyway. When Neo gently placed her finger on one of them, careful not to touch any of the dried blood, Kirby squeaked in pain and ducked out of the way, his breathing quickened.

"Kirby... Kirby, I'm sorry. I didn't- I'm sorry." Neo apologized, unsure of what exactly had caused such pain.

"Poyo..." Kirby moaned, coming back to his friend's side to curl up against her.

He knew that Neo would never intentionally hurt him, but Kirby didn't know what was happening either. The little warrior closed his eyes, snuggling against Neo's fur for warmth while she put the cape back over him like a blanket. It wasn't much, but it was all they had right now.

While the two of them waited for something to happen, Kirby tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable. Searing pain was lancing throughout his entire body, rooting at his shoulders. A cold sweat covered him and within ten minutes, Kirby was shivering uncontrollably.

"Stay with me, Kirby. Stay with me. We've got to be strong, remember? Strong for our families." Neo reminded, carefully putting and arm around Kirby.

*Some time later*

Kirby and Neo woke from their fitful doze at the sound of their cell door opening. Two trays were slid inside, one with a bowl of gruel, a small loaf of bread, and even half a small apple and another with some chopped up and ground raw meat. Breakfast in the Felldersai Taa dungeons, it seemed.

"Better eat up, daddy's gonna come in to check on his cub soon enough!" the demon beast hissed, "Time to go back to training."

"Kirby's sick! He's in no shape for-!" Neo began.

"Save it for someone who cares, little princess!" the demon beast snarled in a mock tone, slamming the door shut.

Neo growled, her ears flattening against her skull and already, Kirby felt his heart race. What if they were going to try and have him torture some poor, innocent creature again? Should he refuse, would they hurt Neo again? Worse yet, what other horrible tortures would be devised to crack their minds and cause the two of them to go insane? But despite this, Kirby felt his stomach growl. He and Neo were both quite hungry, as it had been some time since they were last fed.

However, there was something suspicious about this. The food they were given may not have been the best, but it looked considerably better then the meals served to the rest of the prisoners. Neo could even identify the meat on her tray as that of a bugbear. Perhaps it wasn't the best parts, in fact it was the toughest, gamiest bits, but at this point, it was looking quite edible. Then she remembered.

"Wait Kirby, don't eat it!" Neo warned, just as Kirby was about to start.

"Poyo, Neo?" Kirby asked, blinking up to the young zwetoock, still holding the precious half apple in his hands.

Neo stiffed at their meals, though was unable to smell anything extra that might have been mixed in. But there wasn't anything to smell in last night's meal either, yet Miachang and Dusk were both adamant that they ate it. Batamons were fond of fruit, that much was for certain, and bugbear meat was a favorite of zwetoocks. What better way to get them to willingly take some sort of drug or poison?

"I know it's horribly tempting, but don't eat it." she repeated, pushing her tray away, "This is way too good to be true. They want us to eat this, it's got to be laced with something!"

Mustering any and all of his remaining willpower, Kirby set the fruit down and followed Neo's example.

"Poyo..." Kirby moaned, gazing down at the filthy stone floor.

The two of them sat together in their corner, doing their best to ignore the food given to them. All the while, Kirby couldn't help but feel that searing pain shoot throughout his body again, causing him to yelp. When he reached to try and touch his shoulder, he only caused himself more pain, having accidentally scraped at his lash wounds.

"Kirby, Kirby no." Neo said, worry heavy in her voice, "Easy, my little friend."

She looked at the little batamon's back again; the strange bumps were not much bigger, though she could have sworn they moved a little. Whether she was seeing things or not was yet to be said.

Suddenly, the cell door flew open, startling both Neo and Kirby. Dusk, Miachang, and Zorra stepped inside, followed by two demon beast guards, each one holding a pair of shackles. Despite his pain and weakness, Kirby put himself in front of Neo, glaring at his captors. Against the odds and knowing it was a fight he couldn't win, Kirby was still putting himself in harm's way to protect Neo.

"My little warrior... you haven't eaten yet." Dusk noted, "I can't have you going hungry now. You'll need your strength."

Both Neo and Kirby didn't even move or speak, though Miachang just began laughing.

"Oh, clever little things. The dragoness would be my first guess. She is a healer, after all. We waited too long in between it seems." Miachang sighed, shaking her head.

"A pity. I was trying to make this easier on you two, considering how valuable you are to me. But it looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way after all." Dusk announced.

With a hand signal, he ordered the two demon beasts to restrain the prisoners. Roughly, Neo was dragged to her feet, then handed Kirby to carry. The first few steps were rough on her, especially when the two guards grabbed her from either side, careless of where their claws dug in. Neo let out a sharp yelp as one wound was reopened and began to bleed, leaving little droplets of red on the floor. Kirby cried out in protest at their treatment, but his words fell on deaf ears. As this was going on, Miachang tensed up, her ears flicking forward and her eyes wide.

"Your highness?" Dusk asked, suddenly alarmed.

"We are being watched!" Miachang snarled.

An ethereal light suddenly flitted right out of the wall, striking the two demon beast guards holding Neo and Kirby. Both beasts had no idea what had hit them before they fell to the ground, dead. When the glowing light reformed, it reveled Sir Jecra's ghostly phantasm. Zorra wildly swung his claws at the spirit, only to harmlessly pass through him. In the blink of an eye, the star warrior's ghost was directly in front of Dusk, staring him right in the eye. Dusk was frozen in abject terror once Jecra's hands grabbed him, sending a chill throughout his body. He couldn't move nor could he even speak. All the Gray One could do was stand there and watch.

"Sir Jecra! Get out of here!" Neo screamed.

 _"_ _Necaro bansiah!"_ Miachang snarled, sending a violent pulse of raw, necromantic energy straight for the ghost, effectively removing him from Dusk.

Sir Jecra moved for Miachang next, only to find himself held back by a powerful invisible force.

"W-what's... happening to me?" Sir Jecra strained as he was pushed backwards.

There was laughter coming from within the walls as all the ghosts and spirits the star warrior had been keeping at bay gazed at him as he struggled.

"I tried to tell you what a pain in the ass necromancers could be, Star Warrior!" Alpha Balor snorted.

"No! Sir Jecra!" Neo howled, futility trying to cast her own spells to defend the star warrior's spirit.

"Poyo... no!" Kirby cried, reaching out with his shackled hand.

"Kirby... Neo... I'm-I'm sorry." Sir Jecra strained, right before his form vanished with a pained scream.

Miachang was fuming angrily, as was her mate. Zorra took it upon himself to take charge of the captives while his wife shooed off the other spirits with a hiss. Only now was Dusk able to get over his initial shock. He knew he had just come close to dying... again. What was more disturbing, he appeared to have aged a few years for some, bizarre reason.

"Gray One, did you look back?" Miachang asked, heavy concern in her voice.

"O-only for a moment." Dusk answered, "Luckily my kind are very long lived. Still, His Grace can't discredit me any more. Turns out there really is a star warrior spy in here. The only problem is that he's already dead."

Now that the excitement was over, it was back to business. There was work to be done. Taking in a heavy breath, Dusk grabbed his cape from off the floor and snapped his fingers, signaling for the two Bloodtooths to come with him.

Kirby and Neo felt their hearts fill with dread. Their one friend in this horrid place was gone. The two of them didn't fight back, not even as they recognized the path they were being taken through. They were going back into that large torture chamber. Along the way, more demon beasts guards joined them, while others were sent to clean up the mess back in the cell.

"Poyo..." Kirby shivered, closing his eyes in discomfort.

"We had only just gotten to know him..." Neo whispered, "But don't worry... he can't die again."

"Quiet, you two!" Zorra barked, causing Neo to flinch.

Once dragged into the torture room, Neo was directed not to the suspended chains, but rather to a large wooden table where she was securely shackled on the flat of her back, while Kirby was treated much the same way. It was very uncomfortable, with the heads of old nails sticking out and rough knots in the wood. Both captives experimented with their bonds, but there was no such luck for escape. With the pain already searing throughout his back and shoulders, it was especially uncomfortable for Kirby. Disheartened, they could only prepare themselves for what was to come.

"The ghost of a star warrior... here. Now that could have really screwed up my plans for you, my little warrior." Dusk purred, leaping up onto the table next to Kirby, "And I can't afford that."

At Dusk's touch, Kirby flinched, turning his head away.

"Please... Dusk. Do whatever you want to me, but leave him alone! Can't you see? He's sick." Neo begged, tears stinging her eyes.

"Neo, my little princess, it's probably not such a good idea to... invite something like that around all these Bloodtooths. The little one here is too young to understand, but you and I both know what these demons, especially the males, like to do with captured female dragons." Dusk pointed out with a sneer.

Neo whimpered softly, her tail curling between her legs as she glanced around at the Bloodtooths and demon beasts. They were just waiting for some sort of show to start, and she and Kirby would be the spectacle. Satisfied, Dusk continued,

"Now that that's settled, we may begin. One way or another, I'm going to get the results that I want."

The gray bounty hunter stepped out of the way as the demon beast guards came forward, each one carrying a cup of horrible smelling, thick white liquid. Just the smell alone made both Neo and Kirby want to throw up, even more so when the slurry was forced into their mouths. Before they could spit it out, large, cruel hands clamped down around their mouths, giving them no choice but to swallow. Both Kirby and Neo choked and gagged, and this went on for some time, until every last drop was forced down their throats. All the while, the Bloodtooths and demon beasts got a good laugh out of it. Once it was finished, Kirby and Neo were both dazed and confused, their minds clouded as the effects of Miachang's potent drugs began to take effect.

"That worked." Dusk commented, watching as another set of guards dragged one of the Stargazer prisoners past and into the training pit.

While Neo was moved to the set of suspended chains, Kirby was taken with Dusk into the pit, where the helpless target awaited. This one looked to be in better shape then the last victim, possibly because she was one of the higher ranking members of the pack. She appeared to be only a little older then Kautounie, though dungeon life had not been kind to her, as her black fur was thinning and her once golden mane was dull. Nearby, another Stargazer, this one male, was chained up as well, where he could clearly see everything. He whimpered and howled, bucking against his chains, shouting in zwetoock.

Kirby looked up to Dusk with dilated eyes, confused even more when he saw that it was Meta Knight looking down at him from Dusk's place. He managed a weak smile. Did his beloved mentor and father find them already? Were they to be rescued?

"You're weak, Kirby!" he could hear Meta Knight's voice growl, "You're certainly no son of mine!"

Kirby's smile vanished as he huddled against the stone floor, tears stinging his eyes. What did he do wrong to upset his father? How could Meta Knight ever say such things to him? He was doing his best to do everything the old veteran had taught him. Even through all the torture and torment, he stood true to the beliefs and honor of a Star Warrior. This went against everything the elder warrior ever said!

"Watch, little warrior... and learn!" Meta Knight's voice snarled.

Kirby could hardly believe what he was seeing. He screamed when he saw his mentor, his father, slicing into the poor Stargazer zwetoock with precise cuts, as slowly and as painfully as he could. Behind him, the male Stargazer flew into a fit of rage and agony.

"Medi Kni! Stop! No, Medi Kni!" Kirby howled, struggling against his own pain to do something about this, "Daddy..."

All the while, watching from her bonds, Neo was confronted with her own tortures. While the demon beasts and Bloodtooths verbally abused her and forcibly held her head pointed so that she had no choice but to watch the torment going on in the pit, she could see Kautounie among them, laughing at her suffering.

"Did you really think I cared about you, little sister? You were just something useful to me. But since you've been getting older, you've become a threat. I know you want mother's throne for yourself!" Neo heard Kautounie say.

"Kautounie... why do you say this?" Neo asked, closing her eyes and expecting the worst to come.

"As long as I become Alphess... all these Bloodtooth demons can have you for all I care, and Kirby. Maybe a union of the dragon and demon is just what our two packs need."

"NOOOOOOO!" Neo screamed, "How could, you, my sister? I-I trusted you! I love you with all my heart, as any sister should! Kautounie!"

With a laugh, Kautounie's form faded away, shifting into that of one of the Bloodtooths. Neo's breathing quickened as her heart rate increased. She could see, that even under the effects of the drugs, Kirby was still resisting. The pink puffball grabbed a hold of what looked to be in her eyes, Meta Knight, screaming "Medi Kni, stop!" at the top of his lungs, his sobbing filling the entire room. She knew what that meant. Neo lowered her head, shaking violently. The young cub could feel the chains fasten tighter to hold her in place, then cruel hands tore the bandages off her back.

Kirby yelped as he was sent reeling backwards from the flat of a sword strike. His vision swam before his eyes, though he could make out the wavering form of his masked mentor approaching, blood soaked Galaxia in hand. The little warrior shrank back fearfully. Just what was Meta Knight doing to him? He wanted to get up, but the pain was just too much to bear. From behind, Kirby could hear Neo screaming in complete agony.

"You see what you've done to her, you pathetic little creature?" Meta Knight's voice snarled in the back of Kirby's mind, "Yes, it's your fault! Now, time for you to join her in suffering."

Kirby yelped as a rough hand grabbed him and dragged him out of the pit. Through his tears, Kirby could see the limp form of the tortured Stargazer being hauled out as well, followed by who he guessed was her mate. Why was Meta Knight doing this? How could he? After all the lessons, after the time they had spent together. All Kirby could think to himself was 'why'?

"It was all... a lie, my little warrior..." Meta Knight's voice purred, "Just a lie."

"Poyo... no, no, no, no, no, Medi Kni! Daddy!" Kirby cried as he was chained up in the same manner as Neo.

Neither of them knew how long the punishment lasted, only that they both eventually blacked out from the pain. It was uncertain what had happened exactly, through the lashes and beatings, it was all a blur. But as soon as they woke up, their captors were prepared to start the process over again. Both of them had lost a lot of blood and the color faded from their skin. When not left to writhe and suffer in their cold, dark cell, Kirby and Neo were force fed that disgusting slurry, then made to watch as their captors tortured other prisoners. There was no reason, not for information, not for any punishment, just for sport.

 **IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~**

Every passing day it was the same. The two of them, alone in the dark. They could hear those they had loved most, curse and spit at them. Words of abandonment and betrayal had filled Kirby's and Neo's minds without end, making rest impossible. Occasionally, there was a faint echo in their troubled dreams, of their real loved ones, but they were eventually shut out completely.

"Why did I waste so much of my life on you , Kirby?" Tiff's voice asked, "You're a pathetic excuse of a Star Warrior. And you, Neo! All you did was turn me into a freak. You hear that? A freak! Like you and Kirby!"

"I'd have been better off if my father still lived. Who knows, maybe he would have trained me instead of that stupid dog, Rhego! I would have just killed you all and this mess would have been avoided." growled Geoffrey, his voice echoing in the room multiple times, "We'd all be better off without having to worry about you two. My home is destroyed, thanks to you. All because of you!"

Neo curled in on herself, blinded by her tears and muttering softly, holding her hands over her ears. No matter how hard she and Kirby tried, the voices still kept coming. Every passing moment, their minds were breaking more and more, and the illnesses, mental and physical, were only getting worse. The lines of reality and imagination were a complete mess. How could their loved ones be doing this to them? Had they been the ones responsible for locking them up in this horrendous prison? It was an absurd thought, but one that was seeming more and more real to the poor, tortured souls.

Kirby and Neo, no longer having any grip on reality any more, had become unresponsive and complaint with their torturers. Both were filthy, with some fresh injures from the day before. Their eyes had lost any and all luster, and deep, dark circles had formed under them from being sleep deprived.

What Neo guessed was a few days ago, (which was a shaky guess at best, given her condition), Dusk had discovered the two bumps on Kirby's shoulders, and since then, he had been checking on him even more often, like he was expecting something to happen.

"Poyo... daddy... why?" Kirby sobbed, the floor below wet with his tears and blood.

Neo weakly picked up and held Kirby next to her. She could feel the warmth of his forehead; it was at a dangerously high level. Kirby's breathing had become shallow and forced, yet he was stubbornly clinging to life.

"I-I-I can't... they would never do... this... but they did." Neo choked out.

Kirby continued to moan as the pain became worse and worse, all the while, he could do nothing to shut out Meta Knight's voice as it told him what a disappointment he was and that he was certainly no knight, merely a weak infant and a waste of life.

Then the cell door opened, and in came their captors, followed by some demon beast guards. Neo didn't even so much as growl as Kirby was taken from her by Miachang. With a grunt, Zorra lifted Neo off the floor and carried her, since she was too weak to walk herself anymore.

"Miachang, your highness, I applaud you." Dusk complemented, "These two cubs are right where I want them."

Before leaving the cell, Miachang let Dusk examine Kirby, particularly where the stubs were forming. Kirby quivered and squeaked in pain when Dusk touched the strange formations, gazing back at him reproachfully.

"Daddy... Medi Kni... it...it hurts..." Kirby whimpered, flinching fearfully, expecting to be struck again.

"What exactly is wrong with this little one, Dusk?" Miachang asked curiously.

"Nothing is wrong, you're highness. Oh yes... just as I thought. A bit prematurely, perhaps, considering this little one's age, but they're certainly coming in." Dusk mused, "Meal time will have to wait."

Kirby and Neo were taken back to the torture chamber, though this time, it was Kirby who was suspended from the chains, while Neo was simply laid down on a wooden slab to watch. Zorra, now free of his burden, grabbed two small, yet sharp knives and handed them to Dusk.

"Are you sure, Dusk? I'm not sure if he can take anymore." Zorra grunted, "And you're the one who wants him alive."

"It's time, alright, your highness." Dusk assured the prince, "Kirby is defiant and strong, any other Star Warrior or Galaxy Soldier would be dead by now after what we've put him through."

Panic filling him, Kirby yelped and struggled, his drugged mind causing him to go wild. His chains were fastened tightly as to prevent him from moving to much. He then felt something go into his mouth, a rough cloth gag, either to keep the screaming to a minimum or to prevent him from biting his tongue off, probably both. Kirby's heart began to pound, a few whimpers escaping him, for fear of what was to come next.

"No... Kirby... let... let him go." Neo moaned, trying to sit up but falling right back down, "Meta Knight... you're his father... how... can you... do this to... us... to him?"

Dusk ignored Neo, his focus on Kirby. A smile crossed the bounty hunter's face. This was a special time for his kind, and even though Kirby was his prisoner, he still wanted to see it happen. And the best part, Meta Knight wasn't here to witness it!

"Lets see them..." Dusk muttered, placing both knife points above the stubs on Kirby's back.

Just what was going on? Suddenly, Kirby yelped through his gag, the tips of the knives already making their first cuts. Tears streamed down his face, falling to the floor and mixing with the blood that was already there. The pain was excruciating, he thought he might pass out again.

"Shhhhh, they're almost out, little one." Dusk purred gently, as he made another cut.

Kirby's entire body trembled from cold sweat, and he could hear Neo sobbing as she watched. Then finally, it happened. Even through the gag in his mouth, Kirby screamed as two feathered limbs protruded from his back. They were covered in blood, and with every flap, there was a spatter of red. Neo shrank back slightly, having not expected this. Dusk on the other hand, smiled, unfurling his own raven wings.

"Ahhhh... there they are. Unlike Meta Knight's, yours are feathered like mine, Kirby." Dusk explained, gently running his hand over his captive's brand new wing.

Kirby panted heavily, his breaths quieted by his gag. He was cleaned up by the demon beasts, revealing his feathered wings to be angelic white once all the blood was washed away. They were small, but maybe big enough for flight. But it took strength to fly, of which all of Kirby's was gone.

"Strange, such small things... yet beautiful." Miachang commented, experimentally running her fingers through the soft, downy feathers.

After his wounds were bound, Kirby's gag was removed and he was released from his chains and placed next to Neo. Unsure how to control them, Kirby flapped his wings a few times, then folded them along his back. Already he was exhausted, from lack of sleep, blood loss, and everything in between. Neo rolled over to face the little star warrior. There was no mistaking the fright in Kirby's eyes. He had beautiful new wings, but what would be done with them? Right now, they were just new limbs to be exploited. Something else to feel pain.

"Neo... Neo..." Kirby prodded, laying down next to his friend.

"They're beautiful... my friend..." Neo said gently.

Neither of them resisted as they were fed the drugged slurry, having lost their grip on reality some time ago. Once finished, both Kirby and Neo were carried back to their cell to let the drugs settle in their weakened bodies. Finally, the door slammed shut and the light was turned off, leaving them disoriented and in the pitch black.

They were alone in here, their friends had abandoned them, and no one was coming to save them. Kirby and Neo just accepted it. There was no escape, they belonged to Nightmare Enterprises.

*Later on, Dusk's private chambers*

Once Neo and Kirby had been dosed and safely locked away back inside their cell, Dusk got to work with other matters. While Miachang and her mate were outside, making sure the work on the fortress was going on schedule, or make sport of the workers, Dusk had something else that needed to be taken care of. Not only were there a few final touches he needed to oversee for his Monster Transporter, (which was finally completed), Garna was still out there, reeking havoc on Nightmare Enterprises. That needed to be put to a stop.

While resting in his bed, the gray bounty hunter fiddled with the different keys on the laptop in front of him. Dusk grumbled to himself, knowing he was better in the field then chained to a computer, and to make things worse, Riley had been thoughtful enough to come online with him. But he had been able to put a dent in Garna's latest attempt to hack inside. At least His Grace and the harpy could rest easy, now that the sitcom marathon had been stopped. Dusk sat back, grabbing the bottle of booze, whiskey by the looks of it, off the bedside table. He bit off the cork, spitting it at Riley's little screen on the computer monitor before taking a swig and grabbing a lit cigarette from the nearby ashtray.

"See Dusk? You can do some things right." Riley scoffed in a patronizing voice, not even flinching as the spat projectile flew her way.

"Well, as I recall, you held onto Kirby for... what, a few hours? I've had both Kirby and Neo for the past week and a half." Dusk bragged, exhaling a plume of tobacco smoke, "Plus I've been overseeing the reconstruction of this infamous prison, and keeping your ties and His Grace's strong with the Bloodtooth Pack."

"A fluke." Riley snorted, unimpressed, "By the way, I can do that without a cig." she added, in a matter of fact tone, exhaling a thick cloud of black smoke through her mouth, just to prove her point.

"I also discovered that there is in fact a star warrior spy within these walls. A ghost. Hmph, the bastard was keeping my captives company, giving them hope... plus he tried to kill me."

"The ghost of a star warrior, you say?" Riley inquired, disbelief in her voice, "Which one, then?"

"He was trying to drain my life force, I didn't bother to ask for his name or credentials! Though I'll admit, he looked familiar." Dusk mused, watching the woman's face carefully, "You don't believe me, do you, Riley?"

"Let me think... ummm... no!" the witch responded, followed by some quick mutterings, the most noticeable being a _'shut up, Fey!'_.

Riley smiled when she saw how annoyed Dusk was getting with her. The gray bounty hunter took another drink before sitting back down again to work, "Kirby and Neo have completely lost their minds. They're under the impression that their own families have done this to them. Oh, they'll be easy marks for Lord Nightmare, that's for sure... as soon as I get my cash."

"As soon as the goods are shipped, His Grace will wire your generous payment directly into your account."

Dusk only smirked and shook his head, "Oh no, I prefer to collect and deliver in person, cash only. Makes things less complicated. And considering that little bitch is still out there... after all this trouble, I want to see the color of my money."

"What do you know... you are smarter then you imply." Riley snorted, leaning forward on her desk, trailing a dainty finger around the rim of the wine glass in front of her.

"Here's to the war, the bloodshed, and all the money to be had once the slaughter is over." Dusk said, raising his whiskey bottle.

"If the slaughter ever ends." Riley purred, taking a sip of her wine, "Very good, now then... what's to be done about our little thief's sticky paws?"

Just like that woman to ruin a good time. After taking another large gulp, Dusk set his booze and his smoke down. But before he could start up again, a loud, hissing screech and the sound of clawed feet scraping against stone could be heard. His room doors were flung open and Miachang, accompanied by her imp, skidded to a halt inside.

"Please, come on in, your highness." Dusk said, surprisingly politely.

"What is it? What's going on?" Riley demanded.

"Check your crystal ball, woman." Dusk snorted, closing the laptop and effectively cutting Riley off, "I've got to go to work." he muttered to himself.

Miachang stroked the little monstrosity perched on her shoulder as it chided away. Forming behind her, were several ghosts and spirits, including those of Gerard, Alpha Balor, Customer Service, and a wolfwrath.

"The Untamed One and the rest of his pack have been detected along the eastern shores of the lake." Miachang stated.

"Oh? Our little friend found this out?" Dusk inquired, his orange eyes darting to Miachang's imp.

"Pazuzu does good spying." Miachang hissed.

"Well, the dead bodies piled up in the grove just beside the east shore was a bit of a giveaway." Gerard snorted, "My boy certainly knows his stuff."

Dusk laughed in a most sinister way. He didn't even bother to put his computer away, though he did take another swig of booze before clipping his cape on. The time had come, time to prepare for his guests. After all, it was important to make a good first impression.

"Rally the monsters, have all occultists prepare for battle." Dusk ordered, "Cover all areas of the stronghold. If I know these rebels, they wont come knocking on the front door... but best to have a sentry or two there just in case. Then again, I'm sure that's what they'll think I'm thinking, better make it more!"

Once fully armored and prepared for battle himself, Dusk led Miachang and the spirits out of his chambers. Along the way, they met up with Zorra, who had quite a large calling of monsters behind him. Dusk knew Meta Knight and the others would find their way too him. A shame that the prize at the end has already been damaged, though, the only way they would reach it would be in chains.

Miachang suddenly paused, then turned to the wall. There wasn't anything showing itself, but she knew that there was another presence in Felldersai, watching them, and waiting. And the necromancer knew she had felt it before. The zwetoock princess hissed audibly and let out a low, rumbling growl.

Meanwhile, watching through the walls, the spirit of the star warrior Jecra waited patently, sword and shield in hand, "I will not fail again!" he whispered to himself, "For my honor and yours, I will not rest until my mission is complete!"

The benevolent spirit may not have been able to save Neo and Kirby from their tortured fates earlier, but he could still give them a chance. He could still help Meta Knight and the others reach them. The ghost would just have to do so carefully. Jecra could not afford to get caught in Miachang's grasp again.

"Oh Meta Knight... you and I were always the crazy ones." Jecra chuckled to himself before fading away completely.

::TO BE CONTINUED::

 **Author's Notes::** Chapter 39, and I must say, this might be the darkest and even most sadistic chapter yet. I can't stress this enough, that Felldersai Taa is NOT a pleasant place to be. This chapter is mostly about what Neo and Kirby are going through as their captors stoop to new lows to break their spirits. And the scary thing is, it's working. Kirby and Neo have both been tortured (mentally and physically) to the brink of insanity!

Okies, noteworthy stuff, this is the first appearance of Customer Service, whom I loved/hated in Kirby; Right Back at Ya! He's such a charming and persuasive sleaze bag with a very cool voice that knows his job VERY well. But he's even more dangerous now, seeing as he's an undead, Ghost, to be exact. I figured there was no way in Hell he would have been able to survive that deep space explosion, and seeing as how much time he spent around Holy Nightmare while he lived, it's quite possible that CS could have been a demon beast himself. (Keep in mind, this is my analysis and MY fanfic, so this is how I'm running with it.) Felldersai Taa is where many demon beasts end up when they die, like a purgatory almost, and it had been established in the Anime that Nightmare could twist even the most righteous of souls into demon beasts. (Like Sir Jecra, but I'll get to him in a sec.) So, yes, Customer Service is one of the other ghosts lurking within the walls of Felldersai, mostly because I REALLY wanted him to be in the story and not just mentioned in passing. As for Sir Jecra, you might be wondering just what it was he was about to do to Dusk. Well, I wont give too much away, but I'll say this, Ghosts are f***ing nasty undead, be they good or evil! Sir Jecra isn't down and out yet. That old veteran still has plenty of fight left in him, even Miachang's necromancy can't seal him off forever. Besides, Jecra has friends in very high places. And then we also have Kirby's wings! Yes, I went there! Meta Knight has wings, Galacta Knight has wings, and my slime ball of an OC, Dusk, has wings. I'm putting together a pattern here. It seems to me that these adorable fluffballs sprout wings eventually. Now all that fanart of Kirby with wings is starting to make more sense, huh? Anyways, Kirby's grown in his wings, but what good are they going to be now? They're just more limbs to be exploited and feel pain. But, luckily, the rest of the team is on the way, and we're in for one hell of a fight over the next few upcoming chapters!

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	41. Terrors in the Deep

In You're Nightmares, Terrors in the Deep

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Very, Very, Nasty Lake Monsters.

'Well, I guess if this place is sometimes called "The Demon's Mouth', I'd say were in it's gullet right about now. Through many skirmishes and fights along the way, Talon has finally led us to Wight Lake. Isolated on an island in the center is our target, Felldersai Taa. It looks really scary. No matter where I turn, I can feel someone's eyes on me. We got rid of that scouting party that found us, but still. There's something else out there. I've seen movement in the water. Ohhhh... I really hope Geoffrey and Sirica get back from their own scouting soon. Something tells me Kirby and Neo don't have much time left. Please hang on just a bit longer, we're commin'!'

The Thoughts of Tiff Ebrum

'It has been ages since I was last here. Even at this distance, I can already hear the cries of torment coming from those trapped within Felldersai's walls. So much cruelty, so much death, it reminds me yet again why I chose the path that I have. Yet other times, I wonder if I have truly lost my mind. A few nights ago, I saw the Lady Garlude, if only for a moment. She was here, watching over us. How, I do not know. Since we have reached the lake, I have yet to see her again, but there have been other things lurking out there, hovering just above the water. I'm not sure yet how we're all going to reach the Sharp Peaks and the fortress yet, so far only Talon and myself can fly, though I did overhear Kautounie and Tiff talking about that Water Breathing spell, and considering I don't see a boat anywhere and that bridge would be the perfect place to entrap us, swimming is looking more and more likely. It doesn't matter to me how we get there. I'd go into the pits of Hell itself to save my son, and Neo as well. But come to think of it, I already am!'

The Thoughts of Sir Meta Knight

'I've been hearin' talk about goin' swimmin' in that there lake! Are those girlies insane? Wait, I-I just answered my own question there just now. Somethin' about breathin' water. I don't know, it came out of one of their books or whatever. The point is, I've been seein' things, hoverin' above the water and stuff movin' in it. Not to mention that there water is damn cold! Seems we've gone from the Badlands to the Worselands! Hmph, but I can't let them know I'm scared. I'll have to show them Bloodtooths and that Dusk why I'm King back home! Still, I can't help but think that me and Talon here are the sensible ones... but maybe I spoke too soon.'

The Thoughts of King Dedede

'Oh... just you wait, King! My Neo is in there, and so is the tasty pink one! Big sister and big brother have already said so. And my strange girl too, and Sir Meta Knight. My Neo sent me on a mission, and I'm going to complete it for her!'

The Thought's of Talon

'Well, here's Sirica and myself, doing what friends do. If you guessed scouting exceptionally hostile territory that contains an infamous prison owned by Nightmare Enterprises, you would be correct. Damn that chick is good at what she does, just a pity neither of us can fly. The Wight Lake is vast, surrounding all of the Sharp Peaks, upon which, Felldersai Taa resides. There's a single narrow bridge connecting the fortress to the mainland, and it's barely big enough for two horses to walk side by side. It's the perfect place to bottleneck and trap us, hence why brushing up on our breast stroke is starting to look like our best option... and I can't believe I'm saying that! Once we get across the freezing water, then we'll heat things up.'

The Thoughts of Geoffrey 'Redsun' Collins

'Geoffrey and I have already made a complete lap around the lake, and so far, it's looking like swimming or flying are our only options to get across, and only a few of us can fly. Even from this distance, I can see several demon beasts patrolling the walls, and more keep on joining in. It's a good bet that they already know we're here, but from what Meta Knight told me, Dusk has been expecting them... he just hasn't been expecting me!

The Thoughts of Sirica

'Wight Lake, never in a thousand lifetimes did I ever think I would see this evil place with my own eyes. Long ago, it was said that the Bloodtooths serving Nightmare while he resided within the prison would take captives out to the lake and drown them when they no longer had any information to give, and they had become too weak to be thrown into the pits for sport fighting. The lake itself is rumored to be a portal to the Abyss, being more then a thousand feet deep in parts. It is said that a terrible monster lurks in the depths, it's name, Deathtide, but that's nothing compared to the horrors of Felldersai Taa. Ghosts, spirits, and demons roam the halls, and it is said that when a demon beast is slaughtered, they either vanish as though they never were, or they end up here. I for one do not fear this place. I do not fear death nor pain. But... there's this strange feeling weighing in my heart. It-it-it's weird... I can't loose you, Neo. Hold on, my little sister. The stars have aligned and the dragons are taking flight!'

The Thoughts of Kautounie Redsun

*Wight Lake, eastern shore, early evening*

While waiting for Sirica and Geoffrey to return, Tiff and Kautounie began prepping the necessary spells for what was more then likely to come. The two mages had summoned a few Celestial Beasts to guard their horses, owlbears, a very good way to keep unwanted pests away, as they had discovered back in Dr. Knarks' lair. And an Unnoticeability from Tiff added an extra layer of protection on their rides out of this hellhole. Meanwhile, Meta Knight, and Talon were keeping an eye out for Geoffrey and Sirica. King Dedede on the other hand, was spying on the castle by use of a pair of binoculars.

"Where did you get those, eagle eyes?" Kautounie asked.

"I brought them!" King Dedede answered, "Escargoon and myself used them to spy on Kirby and them brats. Come to think of it, I still am."

"See anything useful?" Meta Knight questioned, pulling his cape more tightly around himself.

"Yeah. They is bringin' out more guards. And if I'm seein' right, they has got some search lights set up on there!"

Search lights? Really? Going for a swim was looking more and more likely. Tiff sighed audibly, looking out to the water again. A thick fog formed along the surface and there was a rumbling in the clouds above. Then something caught her eye; the form of a man hovering above the lake, smirking, beckoning with his hand for her to come in. She couldn't believe it, this man looked a lot like Geoffrey, but not quite. Somehow or another, Tiff couldn't help but think that she had seen him before.

"Tiff!" Meta Knight called, snapping the girl out of her trance.

The girl shook her head a few times and looked a little confused. It was then did she realize that she had been walking straight towards the water's edge.

"I-I-I don't... understand. I thought I-" Tiff paused, looking back to the water, but the phantasm had already vanished, "Saw... something."

"Well you better step back away, girlie! No sense in goin' in that lake unless we have too." King Dedede snorted, "Kautounie was just talkin' about some monster that's been roamin' around in there."

"Deathtide. The Bloodtooth believe her to be one of the Guardians to the Gates of the Abyss." Kautounie explained.

"Her?" Meta Knight inquired with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yes... it's a she. Why do guys find that so hard to believe?" Kautounie muttered, crossing her arms.

Talon ruffled up her feathers, looking around restlessly, unable to settle down. Not knowing exactly what was going to happen, what was going on with her mage, no sign of Geoffrey and Sirica as of yet, it was enough to upset anyone.

"Easy girl, they'll be back." Kautounie whispered, soothingly, running her hand through the owl's soft feathers.

Once her sister's familiar had calmed down a little, Kautounie got back to work, prepping her weapons for an underwater expedition by means of the Water Proofing spell. It had also been suggested by Tiff earlier, that since the waters of White Lake were freezing, that they might try casting Water Proofing on themselves. If anything, it might help them reach their destination faster, since either way, it was going to be like taking a dip in the arctic.

What light there was had begun to fade as nighttime began to settle in. They were here, and somehow or another, they were going in. Then King Dedede noticed something, "Hey, hey! I just saw one of them demon beasts on the wall go down!"

Meta Knight and Kautounie both perked up, listening carefully. There wasn't much noise, save for the slow movement of the lake tide, but then, if one were to listen carefully, a muffled gunshot could be heard, a sniper rifle by the sound of it, and another beast fell from it's perch on the fortress walls, sending the demon beasts into disarray.

"Hmhm... I think Geoffrey's found another lady... named Black Beauty." Kautounie muttered with a smirk

*Geoffrey and Sirica*

Had it not been for the fact that their friends' lives were on the line, Sirica and Geoffrey could have made a game out of this. The two of them were keeping track of how many demon beasts they had managed to snipe, all the while gathering information on the surrounding land and water. In place of binoculars, they each used the scopes mounted on their respective guns to get a closer look at their target.

The east was beginning to look like their best way in, as the narrow bridge to the south was just looking too much like a bottleneck right about now. Along the way, the two of them had killed off a few wandering demon beasts, and had also destroyed a few of the fiends for which the lake was named; wights. Terrible half corporal, half spirit monstrosities that existed only to feed upon the living. At one time, they were human, (or batamon, or zwetoock, or any other living race as the case may be), but Black Necromancy had been turning the poor saps into these vile creatures, and more kept on appearing every day.

"Alright, I'm at sixteen, nine demon beasts, seven wights." Geoffrey mentioned, with a smirk as the destroyed wight beneath his boot vanished, "By the way, it would be damn near impossible to climb those rocks on the western quarter of the Sharp Peaks, not without loosing most of your skin, anyway."

"Seventeen... keep up, human." Sirica snorted, though with a playful smile while cleaning the gore from her weapon's sword form, "There's too much brambles and vines through the northern water. It would be far to easy to get entangled there." she added, reattaching her sniper scope after returning her weapon to it's main gun form, "Not to mention all those drifting ice flows and dead trees, perfect place for aquatic demon beasts to hide."

"Damn, girl, you really know your shit." Geoffrey muttered, without taking his eyes off the Felldersai Taa walls.

The human reloaded his sniper rifle, Black Beauty, and got himself into position. With a light squeeze of the trigger, his bullet was off, and another demon beast was sent to take a dirt nap, followed by another. Sirica nodded, impressed. Geoffrey was a respectable shot.

"There we are, eighteen." Geoffrey sighed, slinging Black Beauty onto his back, "Keep up, girl."

The two of them moved through the dead trees and rocks along the lake shore. Light was beginning to fade, and it was better to get through the lake while there was still daylight left. Along the way, both rogue and star warrior took out a few more wights and some zombies, leaving the score at Geoffrey; 22, Sirica; 24, for those who are interested. Naturally, the human was a mite miffed. Right now they couldn't afford to be loud, not yet, anyway. Sirica may have been ahead for now, but he knew he had something that was pretty, shiny, and would make a nice big 'BANG' later on.

"Alrighty, eastern shore it is then." Geoffrey shrugged, once their little trip around the lake was nearly completed.

"That is where most of the guards are positioned, along the eastern walls of the fortress." Sirica pointed out, "But, not nearly as many as there were..." she added with a shrug, taking another shot, nailing a demon beast with a bullet to the head.

"Besides, it would be the last place they'd be expecting us to come from." Geoffrey explained, taking his rifle off his back, "And it seems to me... that's where the most damage had previously been done during the wars. I personally think Felldersai could use a bit more of an airy, open feeling... don't you?" he added, matching Sirica's current body count for the day with a few shots.

Sirica put her hand over her mouth to prevent herself from giggling. Whatever sort of explosive device Geoffrey had in store, she really wanted to be a part of it. Before taking off to return to Meta Knight and the others, Geoffrey put his hand into his coat pocket, feeling the small gem stones inside. Yes, if this was to be where they would go down, at least they'd go out with a bang!

However, along the way back, Geoffrey felt a sudden chill run up his spine as a hard, cruel laugh echoed across the lake.

 _"_ _Hmhmhmhmmmm... that's my boy, alright."_ a grizzly, yet slick voice whispered, harshly.

Apparently, Sirica had heard it too, and for the first time since Geoffrey had met her, the commando girl looked quite alarmed. Through the fog rolling in, the shape of a man, hovering above the water could be seen, if only for a second or too. Now Geoffrey felt his heart race even faster.

"What... was that?!" Sirica demanded, looking up to the human.

"I thought I just saw... never mind..." Geoffrey muttered.

*Back at the eastern shore*

Once Sirica and Geoffrey returned, much to the relief of their companions, the two of them filled the others in on what was going on and pretty much what to expect. Lots and lots of sharp, jagged rocks for one thing. However, what Geoffrey noted, was some much smoother rocks along the east walls of the castle, though there was some dead, gnarled vegetation and overgrowth that would need to be dealt with. From there, they could make quite an entrance, one even Dusk wouldn't be expecting.

"Well then, it seems as though we'll need to fill in the blanks as we move along, but it works for me." Kautounie shrugged.

"I figure we can knock down the rest of the east wall and the front door." Geoffrey suggested, "Lets just hope these little gems are as powerful as mom proclaimed."

"Indeed." Meta Knight grunted.

"Lets get this over with." Tiff sighed, as she started casting.

"Wait, you was actually serious about goin' in that there lake?!" King Dedede asked, his eyes wide.

"Well, it's that or risk being slaughtered like sheep in a pen walking along the bridge," Geoffrey pointed out, "In there, I'd say we've got about twenty five minutes before debilitating hypothermia sets in. Plus the element of surprise."

Sirica quirked her eyebrow, gazing back to the lake, "I don't know about you, but even I can't hold my breath underwater for that long."

"Pftt, neither can any of us! That's what we've got them for." Geoffrey said, pointing to Tiff and Kautounie over his shoulder.

One by one, each member of the group had both Water Proofing and Water Breathing cast upon them in turn, but then came the matter of Talon. She wasn't exactly a water fowl, that much was certain.

"I'm an owl, not a penguin! He's the penguin!" Talon huffed, pointing a wing at King Dedede, "But I will do what I must to see to it that my Neo is returned safely."

"Geoffrey and I have already stirred them up a bit. They'll probably be busy looking for snipers along the lake shore." Sirica mentioned, pausing when she felt a strange sensation course throughout her body.

"Yes, we heard... hmph, and saw. " Meta Knight sighed, "Very good shots, both of you."

After the final spell was cast, it was agreed. Talon would fly low and hide amongst the mist and fog and wait for them on the other side. Meta Knight, despite the fact that he too could fly, opted instead to go into the lake with the rest of the team. There were some horrible things down there in the depths. They would need Galaxia before their swim was through.

"Dedede, should you need your mask down there, please... refrain from any electrical attacks. That goes for everyone." Tiff begged.

"Important safety tip." Kautounie muttered, putting her shotgun back in it's sheath and making sure she had a knife within easy reach.

"Our rides are secure, weapons loaded, spells cast, time is ticking, lets dive in." Geoffrey announced, rather cheerfully given the circumstances.

As the team waded into the water, bone chilling cold was the first thing to greet them, however, the water proofing had helped a little, and once the fiery Galaxia sword met with the chilling lake, the water around the sword warmed up considerably. Just like the swim along the Ember Sea Coast, the water breathing had also granted clear vision in the water, as well as the ability to speak. Though, the fact that the water itself was murky didn't help much.

"Still thinkin' this was a good idea?" King Dedede asked, trying to figure out why he wasn't gasping for air at this point.

"Nope." Geoffrey answered, swimming forward.

While in the water, Meta Knight had transformed his cape into wings, folding them tightly along his back to reduce the drag. Sirica couldn't believe what was going on. This wasn't like anything she had ever experienced before.

"I'll have you know, Knuckle Joe had the same reaction!" Tiff mentioned.

"I think you told me about that." Sirica smirked, matching the rest of the group's speed.

"Be careful. Do not split up! There are fouler things then just ordinary demon beasts and zombies down here... even things worse then wights." Kautounie warned.

"Like that Deathtide?" King Dedede asked, with more then just a hint of fear in his voice.

"I think that's exactly who she speaks of, your majesty." Meta Knight said, using his wings like flippers underwater to keep himself steady.

At first, the water was only about ten to fifteen feet deep, then at about thirty feet in, the lake bed plummeted, leaving only a murky, black darkness in the wake of the underwater cliff face. Sirica found herself staring into the blackness. For a moment, it felt as though she would have been sucked right into it. Then, a shining light shimmering on the surface grabbed her attention; that or it was Meta Knight's hand grabbing her, making sure she did not fall behind.

"Search lights, a lot of freaking good that will do!" Geoffrey scoffed.

The group kept themselves at an estimated twenty feet or so below the surface, low enough to avoid being seen, and enough so they would be able to see where they were going. While at this depth, Kautounie and Tiff had both conjured spheres of pale light; enough to give them better vision, while still being difficult to spot from the castle walls. Geoffrey, meanwhile, simply attached his small flashlight beneath the barrel of his gun, as to better see what he might have to shoot at.

"Damn, guess we is lucky then. I don't see none of them wights anywhere!" King Dedede mentioned.

Oh, how the poor fool spoke too soon. Exactly three point five seconds after those words were uttered, the king felt a terrible chill run down his spine. When he chanced a glance to his shoulder, there was a rotting, corporal hand grasping it. Then King Dedede found himself looking into the face of pure hatred. Sharp, gnarled teeth gnashed violently and nasty, curved claws ripped into his robe, yet the king was unable to move.

"You're majesty!" Meta Knight shouted, sending a sword beam towards the fiend and effectively cutting off it's hand.

There was an eerie shriek that echoed throughout the lake as the wight cried out in pain. Now the beast reached for Meta Knight, it's soulless eyes glowing bright green amongst the grit and murk. Meta Knight prepared himself, then found that he didn't have too, at least not yet. With a gargling groan, the beast began to sink down into the darkness, a brand new hole right in it's head.

"What do you know, it can shoot underwater." Geoffrey purred, suavely, using his coat sleeve to give his Smith and Wesson 500 a bit of a polish, "That water proofing really works."

"I-I guess I spoke too... too soon!" King Dedede stammered.

"Geoffrey, behind you!" Sirica shouted.

"Holy shit, they're everywhere!" Kautounie growled.

From above, from below, and all manner of places in between, several of those horrid fiends came swarming out of the blackness, perhaps anywhere from twenty five to thirty as a rough estimate, as no one had bothered counting. Wights, some of which were human, though there was an alarming amount of these creatures that were once batamon and zwetoock. Some had bits and pieces of clothing and armor, just barely clinging to their former selves, and others were wrapped in iron chains, which so far had not affected the way they glided through the water. Worse then the stench and their appearance was the laughter. Filled with such evil and loathing for that which still lived. Then they attacked, like sharks to a feeding frenzy.

Sirica was first to fire a shot this time, only to have the bullets from her gun pass harmlessly through the undead swimming for her. Growing worried, the commando fired more, yet still, nothing happened.

Then she remembered. Back during scouting, she had been forced to use her sword against these things. Her weapon wasn't enchanted, therefor it had no effect on spiritual undead, but silver, enchanted or not, did!

"Sirica, your sword!" Geoffrey shouted, taking a shot with his revolver.

Several sets of grimy, clawed hands reached out for Sirica, only to be cleaved right off once the girl's weapon transformed into a sharp blade. Thanks to the water proofing from earlier, she was not hindered by the depth of the water, and was able to move as freely down there as she could up on land. Sirica was rewarded with pained screams from the attacking undead, many of which were without fingers or even hands and arms.

"Why don't you things just stay dead?!" Sirica shouted as she moved in for the kill.

Tiff and Kautounie meanwhile, had engaged the wights on their side in an underwater Blade Dance, which, although didn't do much to distract the hungering monsters, did cause their numbers to plummet, in more ways then one. In a dazzling spectacle, Tiff unfurled Wicked's acid whip, taking control of the dangerous weapon with her mind to let it flow freely in the water. While a wight, this one having been a batamon during it's life, was entangled within Wicked's grasp, the young mage finished it off with by means of the Spikes spell. Tiff herself was quite startled, as the conjured spikes had severed the wight into two hollow halves. Any others that were caught in the blast were impaled as well, and blinded once the girl followed up with a dazzle.

Then a slimy, clawed hand grabbed the girl from behind, causing her to freeze. She could feel her very life force begin to drain from her body, up until another set of Ethereal Spikes fired from Kautounie tore the wight's attention off of her.

"Tiff!" Kautounie shouted, summoning a swift torrent beneath her, carrying herself through the murky water to deliver her final blow.

The wight didn't even have a chance to let out it's last cry before it was banished to the deep, it's corporal body slashed to pieces. Kautounie shifted around in the water, twirling in an artful display. The sharp blades of the Defender cut through three more of the creatures, while another was finished off with a full set of five Magic Missiles.

"T-thanks!" Tiff stammered, her breathing quickened.

"Hey, we all live for thrills." Kautounie smirked before heading back into the fray.

Although not all of it's functions could be used, King Dedede had no choice by to equip his mask. Hell, if Meta Knight was able to swim while wearing his armor, why couldn't he?

"Oh hell no, you things is not touchin' me again!" King Dedede growled, placing the steel mask upon his face.

First, King Dedede had to adjust to the sudden change in weight his steel mechanical hammer and mask created in the water. Thankfully, with Meta Knight and the others keeping the dwindling amount of wights occupied plus his own incredible strength, that wasn't too much of a problem. (Though when your life and soul is on the line, you often find yourself doing things you never thought possible.)

With a screech, a zwetoock wight slipped past Geoffrey and Meta Knight, it's glowing green eyes fixed on King Dedede. With a grunt, Dreamland's king glared right back.

"Hammer time!" he shouted.

With impressive force, King Dedede slammed his hammer into his attacker, sending the fiend reeling into the darkness below. Next, he used the boosters stored in the back end of his hammer to send him spinning around, creating a whirlpool vortex that had managed to suck a couple of wights right in. After a good pounding, the undead were sent to join their companion, though King Dedede was left a little dizzy after that bold move.

"Damn, who knew?" King Dedede muttered.

He let out a startled yelp when yet another wight came from beneath him, set on pulling the portly penguin deep down into the depths. It was over as soon as it started. In the blink of an eye, Sirica had already swam over, cutting the wight in half.

"Hmmm, who knew?" she said with a smirk, quirking an eyebrow before rejoining the battle.

Three gunshots later, three more wights had what was left of their innards reorganized, thanks to Geoffrey. However, the human rouge was about to find out just how tricky underwater reloading could be. As he reached for the bullets in his coat pockets, a horrible, skeletal visage suddenly appeared right in front of him, hissing with all it's hate and loathing.

"Whoa, whoa, shit!" he cried out as he attempted to swim away.

Before the human could get very far, two filthy, taloned hands gripped Geoffrey around his neck and began to squeeze. A spell that helped you breath underwater was all fine and good, but when powerful hands wrap around your throat, it makes it a moot point. The remaining wights began to swarm around the rogue, thinking him an easy target, right up until a powerful sword beam scattered the lot. Oddly enough, it had only grazed Geoffrey a little, but a scuff of the black leather duster was the least of his concerns at this point in time.

"Thanks, buddy." Geoffrey panted, glancing down to Meta Knight, who was just beneath him.

Meta Knight nodded, then used his wings to push himself upwards, then twist through the water, using Galaxia Drill. Two more of the vile undead fell to the sacred blade, never to rise again. The numbers were starting to even out, and with a Group Healing from Tiff, the Redsuns and Star Warriors were ready for more. Kautounie enveloped one of the undead in a veil of fire, which amazingly burned quite fiercely in the depths. Meta Knight utilized the blaze, using the heat to power up his next sword beam as he sent it hurdling for their attackers.

"Fight me!" Meta Knight growled, slashing through the water with his sword while his eyes turned red.

But then something quite unexpected happened. Without much warning, the wights stopped dead in their tracks, gazing around. Their forms began to dissipate as they turned and fled, leaving the lake quiet once again. Too quiet.

"Hmph, I doubt they'll be back!" Sirica spat, hoisting her sword over her shoulder.

"No... this battle is not over yet." Kautounie growled, anxiously looking around.

"It has only just begun." Meta Knight warned, putting his back to Geoffrey's.

"Is that what you called them things? The beginning?" King Dedede asked, "Damn it, Meta Knight! I'm starten' to freeze down in here! If I get sick I blame you!"

"I think getting sick is the least of our worries right now." Tiff sighed, with a hint of fear to her voice.

Yes, the battle against the wights had taken up much time and the chill of the evil lake waters was begining to affect all of them. The group started to swim forward again, past the floating chunks of ice drifting on the surface, around the dead tree roots and branches stretching out from the shore of the Sharp Peaks, and now across the deepest part of the lake. A sick feeling weighed heavy in each of them as a foul stench started to fill the water. The natural rhythm of the lake itself became disrupted as something else stirred in the depths.

"Oh shit..." Geoffrey muttered, having finally reloaded the last bullet in Nivendethas.

His entire body was shivering uncontrollably from the cold, and there was still a jail break that needed doing. Then, a soft, yet eerie green glow from the blackness grabbed everyone's attention. Slowly, it was getting bigger and bigger. At the scent of fresh meat, that of star warriors no less, the creature's pace quickened at an alarming rate. From this distance, it appeared to be a large, reptilian animal, possibly an aquatic dinosaur, like a Plesiosaurus or the Loch Ness Monster of Earth, or at least it was at one time. Bits of mangled flesh hung off of spiked green, glowing bones. There were places where it's organs were clearly visible once it was closer. At the base of the monster's long neck were five gemstones, almost like a necklace, each one a different shade of blue. But one might only take notice of those if they were not entranced by the rows of sharp, jagged teeth in the beast's open maw.

"Damn, what is that thing?!" King Dedede cried out.

"Deathtide, she's here!" Meta Knight shouted out.

Now it was quite understandable why the wights fled. Deathtide was huge and her hunger endless. As soon as she was within range, Geoffrey fired his massive magnum while Meta Knight lobbed a sword beam. Deathtide growled irritably, changing direction to the north with a swing of her clawed foreflipper. Those horrible green eyes glared at each of them with hatred, then her maw opened. She snapped forward again, with incredible speed.

"Sirica!" Meta Knight shouted, his golden eyes widening.

Sirica readied herself for the oncoming attack, blade pointed outwards. She took a swing, knocking out a few of the creature's teeth, though there was something else lodged in it's mouth where she would have been.

"Meta Knight?!" Sirica questioned.

Even as Deathtide was riddled with gunshots and spells, sword strikes and hammer blows, she still held onto Meta Knight, who was clenched in her jaws. The old warrior struggled against the pain and stench, driving Galaxia further up through the roof of the lake monster's mouth. All the while, Deathtide's sticky, rotting black tongue lapped at the old veteran and tried to pull him inside.

"And he thought I was crazy!" Geoffrey shouted, swimming in closer for a better shot..

Deathtide snarled, thrashing her head and clawed flippers. Without even seeing what she was aiming at, the beast struck King Dedede with a powerful flipper, sending him reeling beneath her, further into the blackness of the lake. The king steadied himself, then swam forward again, determined that this thing was not going to make a meal out of any of them!

Tiff and Kautounie swam to the front of the group, shouting to the others to shield their eyes before casting duel Dazzles, right in Deathtide's face. The undead monster screeched in agony as the bright light stung her eyes. Her head thrashed from side to side, each swing driving Galaxia deeper and deeper through the roof of her mouth until the hilt reached bone. Meta Knight groaned, feeling a sharp tooth tearing the membranes of his bat wings, sending blood flowing into the water.

"Hang on, Sir Meta Knight!" Kautounie cried out.

"You... don't need to.. remind me!" Meta Knight called back.

Deathtide suddenly stopped her thrashing, then threw her head back in an attempt to swallow Meta Knight. The old warrior hung onto his sword for dear life, though the blade began to slowly saw it's way further through the beast's skull. Maybe, just maybe if he could get to the brain, he could put an end to this lake terror.

Sirica was quick to take this opportunity while the monster was momentarily immobile. She swam to Deathtide's head, driving her blade through the empty, glowing socket that served as the lake monster's eye. Still blinded, Deathtide never saw the attack coming. She screamed in pain, even more so when King Dedede's high powered mechanical hammer slammed into her chest, shattering the gemstone set within.

"Yeah, that'll teach you too... oh damn..." King Dedede grunted, quickly diving out of the way before getting slammed by Deathtide's flipper... again.

The lake monster let out a roar that sent tremors through the water. With a single swing of her head, the blinded beast knocked Sirica out of her way, though the commando's weapon was still lodged in Deathtide's eye socket.

"Ahhh!" Sirica cried out, swimming back for round two and to reclaim her sword.

While the beast was distracted, Kautounie mounted her back, driving one of Defender's blades deep down through the rotting flesh and bone along Deathtide's body. As the beast reared up, Geoffrey fired a single shot from his magnum, at close range. A direct hit! With that single, well placed shot, the lake monster's left front flipper was severed from the rest of her body, along with a good portion of extra bone, flesh, and even putrefied organs.

"Yeah! That's what I'm talkin' about!" Geoffrey shouted.

Now Deathtide bucked and squirmed wildly, trying to knock Kautounie off her back, heedless of the fact that she was literally falling apart. Even with just one flipper, Deathtide could still move pretty well through the water. Before Sirica could reach the monster to take back her weapon, Deathtide swam upward, breaching the surface of the water, then slammed back down and started to swim downwards, Meta Knight still inside her mouth. Kautounie held on for dear life, twisting the Defender further in to get a better grip on the monster's back.

"Sirica, grab onto me!" Tiff cried out.

Tiff narrowed her eyes, then flung Wicked forward, wrapping her acid whip around the lake monster's back flipper. As Tiff had instructed, Sirica grabbed a hold of her, and the two of them were pulled into the depths along with Kautounie and Meta Knight.

Meta Knight could feel Galaxia's hold in the monster's mouth slipping, and now he was looking directly down Deathtide's rotten gullet. Then the old warrior got an idea. With as much force as he could muster, Meta Knight tore Galaxia out of Deathtide's mouth, instead focusing on the monster's throat. He knew what needed to be done.

"I hope you choke on me!" Meta Knight growled in defiance as he let Deathtide swallow him.

"Meta Knight?! SIR META KNIGHT!" Kautounie howled, straining against the growing water pressure and cold the further into the lake they went.

It was difficult to make out anything down at this depth, save for the glowing bones of the beast and a thin, acid green strand attached to Deathtide's rear flipper. Suddenly, Deathtide stopped diving and convulsed, clamping her jaws shut and opening them again rapidly. She started to swim back towards the surface, taking her unwanted passengers for quite a ride. As four, bright darts of light flew forward, Kautounie looked over her shoulder, realizing that Tiff and Sirica had been tagging along, using Wicked's whip to hold on.

"Tiff, Sirica, Meta Knight's inside this thing!" Kautounie shouted, right before the magic missiles struck, spurring Deathtide faster.

Geoffrey and King Dedede swam for Deathtide as fast as they could. The girls were still attached to the creature, but Meta Knight was no where to be seen.

"Where is he?" Geoffrey asked, fearfully.

They could see the undead lake monster thrash about, screaming and howling in pain. It's cries became more labored and strained once Kautounie put her free hand to Deathtide's flesh. The glimmer of energy surrounding Kautounie's hand and running up through her arm told Geoffrey that she must have been using a siphon spell. Tiff, who was able to think quickly both on and off her feet, used her whip to reel herself and Sirica in closer. While the young mage assisted Kautounie in draining the monster of it's strength, Sirica let go of Tiff, swimming towards the beast's swaying head to take back her sword.

"This is mine!" Sirica growled, pulling her blade from Deathtide's eye socket.

The fierce, green glow of the lake monster's eye was replaced with a pungent, black fluid that began to spill out into the water. Even as the others approached, Deathtide made no attempt to escape, but instead thrashed about wildly, squirming and writhing, eventually throwing Kautounie and Tiff off, but the damage was already done. Perhaps it was the siphons that drained her of strength, or King Dedede's hammer crushing the gemstones that adorned Deathtide's neck with his hammer. Geoffrey's sharp shooting? Sirica's precision with a blade? Or maybe it was just... something the lake monster ate.

Meanwhile, inside the belly of the beast, Meta Knight hacked away at Deathtide's inner workings, trying to cut his way out. He was covered in cuts, from both Deathtide's teeth and the sharp, spiked bones making up the monster's skeletal structure. With every motion, the old warrior scraped against the jagged bones, tearing up his skin, wings, and scratching up his armor. However Meta Knight could feel the beast convulse as Galaxia effortlessly cut through flesh and bone. The old warrior could see through Deathtide's ribcage, and could make out his friends fighting to cut him out as well. He had to work quickly, as the putrid, mangled organs were already trying to digest him.

It was like being sucked into the abyss. A hot, burning sensation spread throughout Meta Knight's body, then he realized that stomach acid and juices that had spilled out of the beast's ulcerous stomach began to surround him. Meta Knight hacked and slashed with all his might, refusing to let this thing defeat him. He could not allow himself to die like this! His son still needed him.

'Why couldn't you just choke?' Meta Knight thought to himself with a snarl.

Finally, with a few more great swings, Meta Knight found an opening to unleash a sword beam, shattering Deathtide's ribs, leaving him a clear, if not entirely clean, opening to escape. As he swam out, most of Deathtide's guts and fluids spilled out with him, coating the noble knight with black, rotting filth. Ignoring his condition, Meta Knight spun around, firing another sword beam for the beast, cutting off her right front flipper this time.

Hardly able to move, Deathtide had no means of retreating down to the depths to attack another day. In the final throws of her impending defeat, the lake monster snapped her jaws for Sirica, intending to swallow her next, only to loose the bottom half of her jaw to a swing of King Dedede's massive hammer. Tiff and Kautounie both sent another Dazzle right for Deathtide's face, letting the painful bright light blind her remaining eye. There was one last scream from the beast, before it's head was severed by three gunshots from Geoffrey's massive hand held cannon... at point blank range.

"We're not your bath toys... mother f***er!" Geoffrey growled, after the deed was done.

"Good shot..." Meta Knight panted as he rejoined with the others, perhaps filthy and worse for ware, but for the most part alright.

"Thanks buddy." Geoffrey acknowledged, turning to face the ragged knight.

Everyone who participated in the battle was absolutely filthy, with some portion of their body covered in leftover blood, guts, and flesh that had been blasted off of Deathtide's body and now floated around the water. But by far, Meta Knight and Geoffrey looked the worse.

After all the mangled parts of Deathtide started to sink towards the bottom of the lake, Tiff cast her group healing on the team, curing them of all major injuries, though it did nothing to clean off the filth of the battle.

"I-I feel... disgusting!" Meta Knight snarled, flicking a small bit of flesh off his armor.

"Meta Knight... you... you took that demon beast's attack for me." Sirica stammered, "T-thank you."

The old star warrior turned to Sirica, still getting bits of mangled, rotting meat and bone off his armor, "Just as the Lady Garlude had done for me."

"I don't think I'll ever be able to jump in a lake again!" King Dedede whined, effectively ruining the tender, not to mention sentimental moment.

"Come on, we've got to keep moving, we don't have much more time." Kautounie mentioned, "Kirby and Neo don't have much time."

"Right, Dusk is expecting us, and it's so rude for guests to keep their host waiting." Geoffrey shrugged.

The team regrouped and swam for the shore of the Sharp Peaks. Deathtide, the terror of Wight Lake may have been no more, but there was still the lake's namesake lurking about, just waiting for fresh meat. Finally, they rose to the surface of the lake, the low hanging cliffs of the Sharp Peaks within easy reach. The group was effectively hidden by the shadows cast by the prison fortress atop the rocky island and the darkening sky above them. Searchlights from the walls of Felldersai still scoured the lake water and surrounding shore for any sign of them, and a lot of commotion could be heard from within the prison.

While Geoffrey, Kautounie, Sirica, and Tiff climbed up the jagged rocks, stopping to catch their breath on the narrow ledge, King Dedede and Meta Knight both jumped out of the water, King Dedede puffing himself up to float in the air while Meta Knight flapped his wings, landing on a nearby black tree root growing around the stone to perch.

"Ahhh! Kautounie!" Geoffrey groaned when Kautounie began to shake herself off.

"Sorry, force of habit." Kautounie apologized, remembering now that due to the Water Proofing, she wasn't even wet after coming out of the water.

Well, they had done it! They had crossed Wight Lake and everyone was still in one piece.

Not too far from their position were some crudely carved steps in the rock, leading up to the main entrance and portcullis of the stronghold. It was perhaps the safest way up the Sharp Peaks. Chunks of the charred stone walls and battlements littered the rocks the group climbed. Meta Knight shuddered, memories of the battle that had taken place here a long time ago resurfacing in his mind.

Talon had been waiting for them a little further up the cliff, perched on a thin, scraggly tree.

"Oh big sister, brother, Sir Meta Knight, and strange girl and king, you're alive!" Talon cooed, drifting down to Kautounie's outstretched arm, "The beasts above and myself saw that terrible beast leap from the water, I though it gobbled you up, knowing how tasty you are."

"Well, one of us, anyway." Meta Knight muttered.

"Almost two." Sirica added, stroking the owl's soft feathers.

Geoffrey began to dig through his coat pockets, then pulled out a handful of glittering gemstones, "Alright, fending off wights and lake monsters, that was only phase one. As for breaking and entering... well, that's my racket!" he said, confidently.

The group climbed up a little higher, close enough to see all the cracks, growth, and rust along Felldersai Taa's walls. Adrenalin began to course throughout their veins as they prepared for battle. Meta Knight and Talon both spread their wings, prepared to take flight at a moment's notice, King Dedede hefted his mallet, his breath heavy under his steel mask, while Geoffrey had Tiff and Kautounie ready their shielding spells. Things were going to get messy, and were going to happen very fast. The lake and it's monsters? A mere warm up for what was to come next!

"Kirby... Neo, we're here for you. Just hold out a little longer." Tiff breathed.

"Sundar... defend us in battle!" Kautounie whispered, tensing up.

All had turned deathly quiet, save for the heavy breathing and quickened heartbeat of the small band of heroes. Geoffrey smirked, handing one of his Exploding Gemstones to Sirica, just to let her have a little taste of Tamoko's powerful sorcery. He took a small strip of cloth out of another one of his many coat pockets, creating a makeshift sling. There were only about fifteen of these things, and that was a rough estimate at first glance. Every one of them had to count.

"Victory is my destiny!" Meta Knight growled, his eyes flashing bloody red, "I'm coming for you, Kirby, my son!"

He calmed, if only a little, when he heard a familiar voice whisper in his ear, _'Your friends are with you, Meta Knight, and they always will be.'_

Somewhere deep inside, their friends were waiting for them. It was like standing at the Threshold of Hell, just waiting for the Devil himself to invite you inside. None that entered Felldersai Taa were ever to escape. But there was always a first time for everything, right? With that thought in mind, Geoffrey let the first gemstone fly...

*Felldersai Taa, Dusk's P.O.V.*

Dusk perched himself atop the eastern tower of Felldersai, looking out over the lake. He had seen with his own eyes, the monster known as Deathtide leap out of the water, but as of yet, there had been no sighting of his 'guests of honor'. His demon beasts frantically searched from the castle walls, more so after he had killed one random sap just to rouse the others. Miachang and Zorra were down below, trotting along the walls, barking orders.

The bounty hunter felt his heart pound. He could only hope that the beasts of Wight Lake had not killed his quarry, but knowing them, he considered it very unlikely.

"Come on you guys, the little cubs are waiting for you." Dusk muttered to himself, anxiously spreading his raven wings, just waiting to take flight at a moment's notice.

The gray batamon knew they were out there, having heard and even witnessed some of the sniper shots himself. It was just a question of where. A question that was soon answered right in front of his greedy eyes. The demon beasts below him began shouting and growling when a small, shiny object, barely visible came flying through the air. As soon as it touched the stone, the projectile exploded in a massive fireball, completely catching Dusk off guard.

His orange eyes widened as his demon beasts were vaporized in seconds by the devastating flames, and a large portion of the wall crumbled down, sending rock and steel over the Sharp Peaks and into the lake.

"What... the... f***?" Dusk mouthed to himself, in horror.

Just as the bounty hunter took flight, another explosion took place, this one lower, along the base of the fortress wall. More of Felldersai's army was obliterated and a large hole was now in the east wall, leading straight into the courtyard.

"Gray One!" Miachang howled from below, "The Redsun bastards come with dragon fire!"

"Shit!" Dusk snarled, swooping down to the Bloodtooth royalty.

Miachang and Zorra leaped off the wall and down into the courtyard, which was now a smoking, smoldering mess. The two of them howled, rallying the confused and panicked demon beasts to arms, preparing for whatever was to come inside. Dusk landed beside them, drawing both Winterclaw and Venomancer. He smiled, when already, the spirits of the slaughtered monster soldiers had reformed into their ethereal state. Any corpses that were within range and still for the most part whole, were animated by the occultists of Felldersai Taa, so they could fight again. Gerard and Balor appeared by Dusk's side, along with Customer Service and a host of other monster ghosts, awaiting the command to strike.

"You gotta admit, my boy knows how to make an entrance." Gerard snorted.

"No Gerard... I don't!" Dusk snarled, flaring out his wings.

"By the time the moon is full, the Deva Noirdomak shall have his prize of flesh and blood!" Miachang growled.

Yes, yes, Nightmare will have his pound of flesh, and Dusk would have his pay. Perhaps he could retire, if he wanted too. But first, he had to get his prey in chains. Meanwhile, unseen by Dusk and his Bloodtooths, the spirit of the Star Warrior Jecra watched from within the walls, a smile concealed behind his mask and sword and shield at the ready.

*Felldersai, Our Heroes' P.O.V.*

Everyone watched as Geoffrey's Exploding Gem went sailing upwards and over the fortress wall. At first, Geoffrey thought that he might have missed, as did someone else.

"Did you even hit what you was aimin' at?" King Dedede asked.

"I'm not quite-" Geoffrey started, cutting himself off when the top of the already degraded and charred wall exploded in a massive ball of flames, devouring demon beasts and occultists alike.

He had expected the gemstones to be powerful, but he was not expecting this. Sure, it was louder and messier then he preferred, but since they were being expected, why not go for a little flare? Large chunks of stone and steel fell down the Sharp Peaks and down into the lake below. Kautounie was quick to set up her shield of ice while Tiff summoned her shield of flames to protect the team from the rubble and ruin of the prison stronghold. Sirica and Geoffrey crowded around Kautounie and Talon, while Meta Knight and King Dedede stood behind Tiff.

King Dedede looked quite alarmed as the shields were lowered. Small rocks, dirt, and ash were still billowing from where the gem had exploded, and the extent of the damage could clearly be seen. Even he couldn't remember doing that much damage with any of his explosives in the past. Though through all of this, Meta Knight remained relatively quiet, his thoughts of his son consuming his mind.

"Nope, no, I think I got it." Geoffrey corrected, nodding his head.

"Damn, boy, what's in them things?!" King Dedede balked.

"If I had to guess, I'd say dragon fire." Kautounie said.

Talon screeched and flapped her wings, shaking off some of the dust and ash coating her feathers. Her amber eyes fixed on Geoffrey and she hooted loudly, "Big brother Geoffrey, you are the noisiest sneak I know!"

"Alright, now it's my turn!" Sirica proclaimed, stepping forward with a smirk on her face.

"How about together?" Geoffrey suggested, twirling another sparkling gem in his hands before loading it into his sling.

Sirica nodded. There was a lot chopped off the top, but it was indeed high time that Felldersai Taa was given a more open, airy feeling. The mages prepped their shields again, letting the pyromaniacs of the team have at it. This time, a good chunk of the base had been obliterated to nothing but a crumbled wreck, leaving the team with an easy way into the castle. Not only that, but from the other side of the fortress walls, they could hear the remaining demon beasts grunting and crying out in disarray.

Through the smoke and ash billowing from the fortress walls, Meta Knight caught sight of something flying in the sky. Then his eyes perverted to a deep, ugly red.

"Dusk!" Meta Knight snarled to himself in disgust.

The form of the gray bounty hunter vanished behind Felldersai's walls and loud snaps and snarls could be heard over the sound of the burning wreckage. Geoffrey pocketed his remaining stones for later use, then drew Nivendethas. Meta Knight flared his wings and took off into the sky, closely followed by Talon as the others sprang over the sharp rocks and gnarled tree roots surrounding Felldersai. Finally, the entire team emerged through the smoke and fire, weapons locked and loaded, ready to go.

"I made a promise, Neo!" Kautounie snarled to herself, twirling the Defender in her hands, "I will return home victorious with you, or not at all!"

::TO BE CONTINUED::

 **Author's Notes::** Hey, you didn't think that the whole Water Breathing was a one time thing, did you? As well all know, every video game in existence has that one, EVIL water level that drives you up the wall! And just when you thought it was safe to get back into the water, too! Felldersai Taa constantly messes with the minds of people. It seeks to corrupt that which is good. I couldn't help but have Sirica and Geoffrey make a contest out of who was the better marksmen. King Dedede gets an opening to put those binoculars (which are practically a staple of his in the anime) to some good use for once. And of course, icy cold lake filled with undead? How do you top that? Why, undead lake monsters, of course! I was trying to think of something just morbid and disgusting, the sort of thing you'd never hope to meet in YOUR Nightmares... plus it tries to eat Meta Knight! Deathtide, she's probably some experiment done by Nightmare Enterprises that went horribly wrong, so they just dumped her in the lake. (Jason Voorhees, you may have just been upstaged...)

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	42. Jailbreak of Felldersai Taa Part 1

In You're Nightmares, Jailbreak of Felldersai Taa Part 1

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Ghosts from the Past (Which to be perfectly fair, were better off left in the past).

*From where we left off on Chapter 40*

A cold presence hung heavy in the air as Meta Knight, Tiff, King Dedede, Sirica, Geoffrey, and Kautounie stepped into the courtyard of Felldersai Taa. They paused, facing off between Dusk, Miachang, and Zorra, and their army of demon beasts and undead, which stood at the ready, eying the small group of rebels like they were a meal. A sickening feeling weighed in both King Dedede and Meta Knight, when their eyes fell on Customer Service, who just smiled right back. Of course, Meta Knight's glowing red eyes found their way to the weapons Dusk carried, the Winterclaw and Venomancer. Then Dusk spoke.

"Ah, glad you all could make it." the bounty hunter purred, "Like my new toys?" he asked, showing off the blades he carried.

"You wont be by the time I'm through with you!" Meta Knight hissed, "Where is my son?"

Dusk just smiled. How predictable of the old knight.

"Perfectly safe, though he may not remember you, at least as you were. You see, I've been working with the cubs myself." he paused for a moment, eying the group.

They had followed his instructions, much to his surprise, though there was an extra in the group Dusk had not been expecting, but was welcome all the same, "Oh, you brought me a bonus! The daughter of the Lady Garlude ought to be worth something, dead or alive. Dead preferred in this case."

"I'd like to see you try, bounty hunter!" Sirica challenged, shifting her weapon into it's gun form.

"Feisty little one, just like her mother." Gerard hissed, whipping two ghostly daggers out from under his coat.

Now Geoffrey found himself frozen, in grief and horror. It couldn't be real, it just couldn't. Soon enough, Meta Knight had also spotted him. The bane of star warriors across the galaxy, Gerard Collins. Not in the flesh, but far worse.

"What's the matter boy? Never thought you'd see your daddy again?" Gerard asked with a laugh, "You're REAL daddy?"

"You... you're not my father, you bastard!" Geoffrey snarled, "My real father is Alpha Rhego of the Redsun Pack!"

"Come on, son. You know by birth, you're a serpent just like me." Gerard snickered.

"Not anymore! He is a Dragon of the Redsun!" Kautounie snapped, "And he is my brother, and Neo's!"

"So then, you throw in your lot with Star Warriors and Redsun dogs? No matter, I guess you can die with them! A pity, being that you are my flesh, blood, and spirit."

The assassin's phantasm smirked evilly, delighting in the fear and anger upon his son's face and the fiery attitude of Kautounie. He glanced to Sirica and Tiff, seemingly unimpressed. Although Sirica glared right back, Tiff couldn't help but shudder slightly. Every time she had seen this man, be it in her dreams or when Nightmare himself took Gerard's guise, he sent chills up her spine.

But then the ghost's eyes fell on Meta Knight, "Well, well, well, if it isn't little Prince Mety! Certainly has been a while since the last time I saw you. Remember how much fun we had together? Me, always babysitting you for the Dark One. But I have seen your kid... cute little guy, looks a lot like you... I've probably scared him for life too!"

"Shut up!" Meta Knight snarled, his eyes blazing deep, angry red while he brandished his sword, "You will not so much as touch my son!"

"Hmhmhmhmmm, too late, puffball. Maybe you should have taken better care of your pups!" growled another familiar voice as the ghost of Alpha Balor came into light, "Been a bit, huh, Meta Knight? Remember me? Thanks to you I'm stuck here in this hole! No matter, those that resist will be stuck here with us!"

Great, first the ghost of Gerard Collins, now Alpha Balor? Then King Dedede found himself staring down someone else he would have rather not seen again, mainly due to the fact that this man used and double crossed him, more than once, as a matter of fact. Of course, there were also the countless ripoffs as well.

"Customer Service..." Miachang hissed, striding forward with her mate, "You know this bloated penguin?"

"Ohohohoooo, sure do, your highness." Customer Service laughed, "Triple D, sure has been a while, hasn't it? I must say, afterlife was not quite what I expected. But I'm still employed by Nightmare Enterprises as you can see. Just a different department... considering that I'm dead."

"Yeah! And you better stay dead after what you pulled!" King Dedede shouted back.

"Actually I should rephrase that. It's actually more of undead. Anyway, Big D, this sure is a switch from the last time I saw you!" Customer Service commented, stroking the ghost wolfwrath by his side, "Fighting along side star warriors to rescue Kirby and his furry friend? Whatever happened to trying to get rid of him?"

King Dedede growled angrily. He never did have the chance to pound this son of a bitch the last time they had met. Though he couldn't forget about Dusk either.

"WELL I GONE AND CHANGED MY MIND!" King Dedede roared.

"I hate this guy already." Kautounie snorted, as her hand glowed with arcane energy.

"Enough, enough, I asked you to come down here to talk, and so we have." Dusk said, stepping forward, "Now then, if you'd like, I could take you down to see the little ones the easy way, or the hard way. Chains or by sword, the choice is yours."

"Gee, that's a tough one." Geoffrey snorted sarcastically.

The stare down continued, if only for a few silent moments. Dusk had quite a host of undead, occultists, Bloodtooths, and demon beasts at his call, and the odds were against the Redsuns and Star Warriors, but they had something he didn't.

"I'm waiting," Dusk sighed, "Come now, is there really that much to think about? I've got an entire army, you've got a foul tempered child, an older than dirt star warrior, a trembling little girl, a cocky, gun toting bastard, a savage dog, a usurped, fat, self appointed king, and a bird. You've got no chance."

Talon ruffled up her feathers and spread her wings, preparing to take flight and fight against these demons alongside her companions. Meta Knight slashed downward with his sword once and Geoffrey pulled back the hammer of his massive revolver. Tiff and Kautounie both prepared spells, aiming to even their odds against the hoards that were sure to attack within the minute. King Dedede twirled his steel hammer in his hands, narrowed eyes glaring at Dusk and his army through the visor of his mask and Sirica shifted her weapon into a new form she hadn't used before.

"You only see what's on the outside, and the cash we're worth to you." Kautounie snorted, "Yes, we may have all the things you mentioned, but you forgot some too! We may not be an army, but we are a family!"

"Family doesn't win wars!" Dusk scoffed.

"Oh, I think it will, especially when there's a pissed off daddy who really wants his kid back!" Geoffrey commented, "And of course, superior firepower." he added.

"For all that was lost in the Free City and the Crimson Woods!" Kautounie shouted.

"For Kirby and for Neo! By the end of this day, you Dusk, shall be in chains or dead!" Meta Knight snarled, taking flight.

Dusk just tilted his head like a questioning dog. So this was their choice then? Very well, he would see it done. With a wave of his hand, the first wave of demonic fell started forward, snapping their jaws and roaring their cries of blood lust. Most were land based, like the golden armadillos, acid spitting centipedes, and of course, the hell hounds, but there were also brown wyverns, each one armed with a deadly stinger at the end of it's tail and rows of razor sharp teeth.

Just what Geoffrey was hoping for. Unexpectedly, the rogue lobbed another one of his exploding gems into the oncoming advance. A direct hit! The jewel detonated in the center of the charge, even forcing Miachang and her fellow Bloodtooth mages to set up their shields, lest they get swallowed by the raging inferno. Dusk ducked behind Miachang, his orange eyes wide. Exploding Gems? How did Geoffrey ever get his hands on those?

By the time the smoke and flames cleared, most of the obstacles littering the courtyard were burnt to ash. Many of the ghosts writhed and dissipated, the essence of their being sapped by the enchanted fire within the gemstone. Only the hell hounds survived the flame, though the sharp noise of the explosion and pieces of shrapnel flung through the air threw them into an unorganized frenzy, leaving them easy targets for King Dedede to finish off with an electrified shockwave attack from his hammer.

"What the hell?!" Dusk shouted, spreading his own wings with a snarl.

"Alright Kautounie, lets even this battlefield!" Tiff calld, as she and the rest of their group started their advance.

Both mages cast their spells simultaneously. In a flash of bright light, an entire pack of Celestial Mastiffs appeared beside Tiff, including one nearly the size of a horse. The massive dogs charged forward at her command, tackling the inferior demon beasts to the ground. As one of the ghosts got too close, the largest of the white mastiffs let loose a powerful bolt of lighting from his mouth, causing the ethereal undead to dissipate. At the sound of his thunderous bark, several of the lesser ghosts were sent scurrying in terror, however the spirit of the wolfwrath was not intimidated one bit, as it immediately began spitting ethereal red fire for the celestial beast.

By Kautounie, three huge owlbears had been summoned to her side, and as soon as their eyes landed on the oncoming advance, they shrieked and lunged forward. With a single swipe of the owlbears' paws, they sent several demon beasts sprawling across the dirt and rubble and with a sharp beak that worked like a vice grip, once they bit, there was no getting out. Though unlike the mastiffs, these things were quite useless against the ghosts.

"Damn." Kautounie grunted, centering a lightning bolt of her own on a demon beast spirit that had attempted to touch one of her owlbears.

There was a pained scream, and the spirit vanished. At least now she knew her spells would affect ghosts. Sirica, meanwhile, hefted her gun over her shoulder, sending a stream of searing flames for the demon beasts headed her way. Those not killed in the blast were still lit on fire and forced to roll around in the dirt in an effort to snuff out the flames, yelping and howling all the way. Sirica's eyes narrowed as three hell hounds leaped from the blaze that had been lit on the ground, barking, with molten saliva dripping from their maws.

"Stupid dogs!" Sirica spat, shifting her weapon into it's sword form.

With three graceful swings, there was nothing left of the hounds but a flash of flame and piles of ashes smoldering behind her.

Meanwhile, Meta Knight cleaved two of the airborne wyverns in half with a single sword beam attack. His breathing was heavy, and he was careless about the blood coating his mask and armor. The old warrior's crimson eyes scanned the battlefield below for his target, and there he was. Dusk! The cowardly bastard.

"Sir Meta Knight!" Talon screeched as she soared by, claws outstretched for attack.

Another wyvern, this one carrying a female Bloodtooth rider on it's back, lunged for Meta Knight. The old veteran found himself staring into the beast's open mouth, if only for a second, right before chopping it's head clean off with a well timed swing of Galaxia. As the beast's body began to plummet, the Bloodtooth mage sent a stream of fire from her hand at Meta Knight with a loud hiss. The blue warrior grunted as the fire licked at his skin and wings, though he had caught some of the flames with his sword. But, while the angry zwetoock was focused on Meta Knight, she failed to see Talon, who swooped down with incredible force, enough to knock the Bloodtooth mage right off her fallen steed.

Meta Knight watched as the Bloodtooth female fell to the ground below, screaming, finally landing on some sharp stakes and pikes that had been littering the courtyard. Not a pleasant way to go. But such was the way of war. Then more spells being fired from the ground snapped Meta Knight's attention back to the battle at hand. He grunted and nearly tumbled out of the air himself when a high powered bolt of black lighting struck him square in the chest.

"Urrrgghhhh!" Meta Knight cried out, beating his wings far more fiercely just to stay in the air.

He looked down just in time to see a streak of black and gray heading straight towards him. Meta Knight met the opposing attack, blocking with Galaxia. His eyes narrowed, looking right into the face of his son's kidnapper.

"This is what you wanted, right?" Dusk purred with a smile, flexing both Venomancer and Winterclaw in his hands, "By the way, I sincerely thank your little thief friend, Garna, for this." he added, showing off the poisoned black bladed dagger, "And your son has... or rather... had a very nice sword. Frost enchanted Dragon Scale Steel, am I right?"

Meta Knight didn't answer right away, instead, he drew his dragon fang knife with his free hand, matching Dusk's duel weapons.

"Oh, I've learned quite a bit since our last waltz, good knight!" Dusk warned.

"So have I!" Meta Knight growled as he lunged forward.

Down below, Miachang smiled, having caught her flying target off guard, however, she was quickly torn away once she heard her mate yelp loudly in pain. Zorra groaned as he got back to his feet, glaring at the masked king that dare strike him. King Dedede slammed his hammer into an incoming demon beast without even looking as he strode forward. Dusk may have been out of his reach, but these two weren't.

"That's for what happened back on the Halberd!" King Dedede shouted.

He was about to move in for another attack, only to find himself frozen as chilling hands gripped his shoulders. It was far worse then the wights, especially when a familiar voice began whispering in his ear.

"I was really hoping it wouldn't have to end this way, Big D. You and I have such a history together." Customer Service sighed.

While King Dedede was frozen, Miachang found her chance to strike the armored lout, only to have her chosen spell be deflected. With a growl, the Bloodtooth princess and her mate found themselves facing down unexpected company, Kautounie and Sirica to be exact.

"Don't think I'd ever forget what you did to my sister, you Gods forsaken bitch!" Kautounie growled.

The elder Bloodtooth just smiled at her rival princess, showing her sharp, yellow fangs.

"Heheheh... I've always wanted to slay a dragon!" Miachang hissed, "The elder daughter of Tamoko Redsun, no less."

Meanwhile, Tiff and Geoffrey sprinted across the courtyard with the summoned mastiffs as the beasts tore through any monsters and undead that got in their way. However, there was a sharp yelp as the spirit of Alpha Balor ripped the throat right out of one of the white creatures. In a flash of light, the mastiff vanished. But before Tiff could do anything to her summoned fighter's attacker, the girl halted in her tracks as Gerard's ghost suddenly appeared in front of herself and Geoffrey.

"Gee, you're cute! I'll fix that for you, Star Warrior!" Gerard snickered, right before another hole was added to his body.

The ghost groaned in pain and glared to his son, who had his smoking gun outstretched in his hand.

"Well, what do you know. Specially modified indeed!" Geoffrey snorted.

"Yes, my son. But I can't die again! One fucker of a fluff ball has seen to that!" Gerard spat.

"Well Meta Knight killed you once, and he can do it again!" Tiff shouted, "Unless we do first!"

Gerard levitated off the ground, his shoulders shaking from laughter, causing his ghostly, see through blood to pour from his old battle wounds, the most noticeable being the hole right through his heart.

"Sweet girl... what makes you think little Prince Meta Knight killed me?" Gerard laughed, "That pathetic little creature? Did my boy tell you that?"

Tiff's mouth gaped for a moment, her wand shaking in her hand, "But-but I-I-I-I thought that-"

"I just told her you fucked with the wrong star warrior, I never gave any details." Geoffrey snarled, "Women, you know. Always jumping to conclusions."

"Hey!" Tiff snapped.

"Hmhm, what does it matter? You're joining me in Hell!" Gerard shouted, suddenly appearing right next to Tiff in a split second, "Besides, our little masked friend is currently occupied at the moment, in case you haven't noticed!"

The assassin's empty, soulless eyes filled with insanity and rage. How he longed for the feeling of fresh blood coating his hands. For the screams of fear and pain to fill his ears. Tiff blocked his knife strikes with her wand, quivering under Gerard's gaze. Then the evil spirit backed off, feeling a new, clean cut form on his arm. Geoffrey stood his ground by Tiff's side, enchanted knife in one hand, gun in the other.

"I don't take kindly to demons who mess with my ladies." Geoffrey stated, sternly.

"Your ladies? Heheheh..." Gerard snorted, drifting further into the air, "What a pathetic being I sired."

So this was it then. Rivals from the past and present, uniting within the walls of Felldersai Taa. All around, the battle raged; Celestial beasts against demons, dead against the living, and most important of all, family fighting for the sake of their loved ones. This fight was not for their own lives, rather brothers and sisters fighting for their youngest, and a father fighting for his son. However, during the chaos of the fight, there was a slight shimmer of celestial light, cleaving it's way through the demonic fell that stood between the star warriors and their captive companions, making itself known.

While flying through the air, parrying Dusk's strike, Meta Knight saw a familiar form take shape out the corner of his eye. For a second, he nearly failed to catch Dusk's cheep shot for his wing joint. Come to think of it, Venomancer should have struck, but a ghostly sword caught the attack just in time. Both Meta Knight's and Dusk's hearts began to pound at an alarming rate, but for different reasons. From the sword down, the spirit of the star warrior began to form, revealing himself for who he truly was.

"Long time, no see, my old friend." the star warrior's spirit said, "By the way, I love the wings." he added, a smirk concealed behind his own mask.

"Sir Jecra?!" Meta Knight muttered, eyes wide.

"Oh shit..." Dusk hissed with distaste, "THE Sir Jecra? Just my luck! Oh that bastard Gerard has a few things to answer for when this is over."

*Geoffrey and Tiff*

Tiff jumped back as Alpha Balor lunged not for her, but rather her wand. She panted heavily, the chill running up her spine increasing at an alarming rate the longer she stayed near these vile and evil spirits. Geoffrey was doing his best to grapple with his undead father; much easier said then done, considering the deranged ghost could pass right through the rogue without any effort whatsoever. Tiff's attention suddenly snapped back to the huge hell hound spirit that snapped for her again, ethereal magma dripping from his maw.

"I see you've got a little stick now." the alpha hound snorted, "How cute! But I don't play fetch! What's it do?"

"I'm much stronger then the last time we met, Balor. I wont need Sir Meta Knight to save me this time!" Tiff proclaimed, unfurling her acid whip and whistling, calling two of her summoned mastiffs to her side.

The demon's spirit smiled gleefully as more hell hounds joined the brawl, four in number, "Heheheh... tough talk, little one. You know, I could take my revenge on Meta Knight, but the big boss has special plans for him. But it seems to me that the best way to hurt someone, is to take away what they love most. Don't worry, I'll make yours quick, but I can't say the same for your friend, Kirby."

Tiff screamed in rage, wrapping her acid whip around Balor's legs then pulled, taking the spirit right off his feet. Balor howled, part of his body sinking into the ground. He retaliated, catching Tiff in a blast of freezing cold white flames. Tiff fell to her knees in agonizing pain, unable to so much as scream. Everything horrible and doubting in the back of her mind came forward, clouding any and all judgment.

'This is a fight you cannot win.', 'You're weak, and you always will be.', 'Kirby and Neo are already dead, you might as well give up.'

Once the flames dissipated, Tiff could make out Geoffrey and his father's ghost in a knife fight. The rogue was fighting to come to her aid, but every time he tried, Gerard would sift in his way. Geoffrey was covered in cuts, one leaving a nasty scar across his face.

Tiff breathed heavily, shivering violently. Her white mastiffs whined, shifting anxiously, awaiting her orders.

"So, what do you think now, pup?" Alpha Balor asked, regaining his footing as Wicked retracted, leaving him free.

As he asked, his fellow hell hounds charged forward, ready to take down the easy target, or so what they thought was an easy target.

Tiff glared up at her would be attackers, snarling loudly. At her command, the young magician's mastiffs bounded forward, striking down two of the hell hounds with their lightning breath, leaving the other two to fall by Tiff's wand.

"I think it's better if you just shut up!" she spat, "I'll fight for my friends until my last breath."

As Balor leaped forward, jaws open, ready to deliver his devastating bite, the young star warrior sent a torrent of raging ocean waves straight for the evil spirit. The conjured water swept the hound right off his feet, also catching a few of the surrounding demon beasts in it's path. Balor yelped and howled, thrashing about wildly as the enchanted torrent carried him across the battlefield. Finally, his form dissipated into the ground. There was no way Tiff could know if he was dead, or rather defeated since he couldn't exactly die again, but at least she could help Geoffrey out with his family issues.

Before rejoining the fight, she took a quick look around to survey the situation, catching a glimpse of Meta Knight and Dusk, dueling around the towers, along with another ghostly form she couldn't recognize from her vantage point. Off to the side, near the main doors leading into the keep, Kautounie, Sirica, and King Dedede battled against the royal Bloodtooth pair and the ghost of an old nemesis, Customer Service. All the while, her summoned dogs and Kautounie's owlbears were doing a good job keeping the surrounding fights away from her.

There was no point in lying to herself; Gerard terrified her, and the horrid spirit knew it. Tiff winced when she heard Geoffrey cry out, then she saw the blood pouring from his hand.

"I can't let my fear take me. I've got to be strong!" Tiff told herself firmly, allowing her acid whip to freely flow from Wicked's point.

Meanwhile, battered and bloody, Geoffrey was still putting up a vicious fight against his father. His left hand was bleeding profusely, though it was still clenched tightly around the knife he wielded. Gerard sifted forward with a growl for another attack, only to be taken off guard with a powerful pistol whip across the face from Nivendethas.

The ghost smiled, licking the ethereal blood from his wounds with a freakishly elongated tongue before using it to "clean" his knives. Geoffrey winced slightly, a sickened look on his face.

"What's the matter, boy?" Gerard asked, "I thought I raised you better. You've taken enough of my training, I already see. For sure I would have thought you'd be dead by now."

"You'll find I'm full of surprises!" Geoffrey growled, whipping around and shooting two incoming occultists before catching Gerard's next two knife blows.

"Surprises? Surprises all right! All of this for a warrior cult that's been dead for generations and a pack of primitive animals?" Gerard snorted, breaking off his attack, "Boy, this war was won the moment Holy Nightmare returned from death."

"No." Geoffrey answered, "All this for my friends, and for my family. Something you wouldn't know about, father!"

The undead assassin laughed, clearly enjoying himself, "Come now son, lets not ruin a good fight with talk of love and all that shit! Love and friendship is something for the weak! I don't need your pity."

"Good, because I wasn't going to give you any." Geoffrey scoffed as he took a fighting stance, only causing Gerard to smile wider, "By the way, this war has only just begun."

The phantom assassin flitted forward in a split second, trying to get as close to his son as he could. Geoffrey backed up, butting his pistol into Gerard's head yet again before rolling out of the way. Gerard smiled insanely the entire time. He hadn't had a fight this good in a good long while, not since... the one that left him in this undead state. Had no one known there was a battle going on, it would almost seem like these two were dancing. Each one parrying and striking swiftly and gracefully.

Geoffrey ducked out of the way of his father's knife swing, then attempted a drop kick to trip him, only to have his leg go right through the ghost. Nervously, he looked up to Gerard, who just sighed and shook his head.

"Seriously, boy?" he asked, "One of your surprises?"

Now it was Geoffrey's turn to smile, "Yup!"

At that, Geoffrey lobbed his enchanted knife, nailing his father right in the neck. The ghost grunted, in mere annoyance. Before turning his aggression on his son, Gerard tossed his two ghostly knives at Tiff's incoming Celestial Mastiffs as she came sprinting forward. The two great beasts yelped and stumbled to the ground, vanishing in a plume of light. Gerard hissed and raised his arm to take Wicked's whiplash, then endured four magic missiles to the chest.

"Seems your little lady is tougher then I first thought." the ghost mentioned, "Surprises indeed. No matter, I'll deal with you after I kill her." he added, pulling Geoffrey's knife out of his neck, "You and I really need to have a father son talk about the women in your life!"

Gerard, without warning, suddenly jabbed the knife in his hand right into Geoffrey's chest, causing the rogue to convulse, then collapse to the ground. Tiff gasped, skidding to a stop, terror filling her eyes as Gerard turned to face her.

"I-I-I'm... n-not scared... of you!" Tiff stammered, reeling back Wicked for another strike, "Geoffrey, Geoffrey. Please... get up!"

"Oh girl, you should be." Gerard hissed, "Because I have so much fun killing star warriors!"

Suddenly, Gerard snapped forward, grasping Tiff by her shoulders. Tiff screamed in pain, then felt a freezing cold chill flow throughout her entire body as the assassin's ghost touched her, grabbing her head and turning her to face him. The young star warrior could not believe what she was looking back into. It was beyond terrifying and her heart began to pound at a rapid rate, loosing herself within those soulless eyes.

Then, there was a familiar sound over the noise of the battle raging in the courtyard, like the hammer of a massive revolver being pulled back, followed by a loud 'BANG'. Gerard didn't even have time to tear his eyes off of Tiff to see what hit him. With a look of extreme pain on his face, the assassin's spirit dissipated into the darkness of the growing night, leaving Tiff panting heavily, trembling from cold and fear. In the back of her head, she could still hear the assassin's laugh, slowly fading into the distance.

When she could finally move, Tiff could see Geoffrey getting to his feet and removing the knife out of his chest.

"Son of a bitch!" Geoffrey grunted, limping across the muddled battlefield to where Tiff was slowly rising to her feet.

Now Tiff could manage a smile. Of course! That armored vest Geoffrey wore under his coat. It must have taken the brunt of the strike!

"Geoffrey... are-are you-?" Tiff stammered.

"I'll live, even if I don't feel like I will. It's you and the others I'm worried about!" Geoffrey stated, "I don't think he's gone for good, but he's not in fighting shape either." he sighed audibly, "Now that you really know my father first hand and what he's like, do you think any less of me?"

"Never, Geoffrey!" Tiff answered back, in shock, "I don't know what he was doing to me, but you saved me from it! I owe you my life." she added, finally regaining the strength and courage to use a healing spell on herself and Geoffrey.

"Well, there's other lives that need saving here," Geoffrey stated, "Remember why we're here in the first place! Lets kick some more ass."

Tiff smiled and nodded, rejoining the battle with Geoffrey. Gerard and Balor were defeated, but there was no way of telling if they'd be back. As the two of them waded through the dwindling amount of monsters and occultists, they could hear Kautounie howl in rage, and then they could see why, as the two royal Bloodtooths she and Sirica had been fighting vanished in a plume of black mist. Meanwhile, up above, Dusk was no where to be seen either as a massive sword beam cleaved through a good chunk of the prison walls. Shortly after wards, Meta Knight flew towards the ground with a decidedly grim look in his red eyes, blood covering his armor and sword. Though there was no sign of that strange, ethereal being that had been with him earlier.

*Kautounie and Sirica/King Dedede*

While Tiff and Geoffrey had their battles, things were only just getting started between King Dedede and his old pal from way back. Customer Service's usual laugh sent chills up King Dedede's spine. The Dreamlander felt the steel of his mask and hammer freeze to his skin as the cold intensified.

"Oh, don't tell me you're getting... cold feet, Big D." Customer Service snickered, "Why don't you and I make one last deal... face to face."

As the ghost of Customer Service sifted through King Dedede's body to face him, the spirit's hold on him was suddenly severed by several ethereal spikes lancing through his abnormally short body. He and King Dedede both glanced over to see Kautounie, who was in a messy scrap with Miachang, crouched down, covering herself with a shield of summoned spikes, many of which pierced through Miachang's flesh, forcing her back, while Sirica transformed her weapon into it's gun form and began shooting at Zorra.

"King Dedede, don't look directly at him!" Kautounie snarled, before being dragged back to her own fight.

King Dedede hefted his hammer, ready to pound Customer Service's ethereal body to a pulp.

"I'm through makin' deals with you!" King Dedede shouted, "Especially after what you pulled! Besides, I got me a new salesman. A taller, more reliable salesman!"

Customer Service's already pale, ghostly skin began to look paler as the steel hammer pulsed and crackled with electrical energy. With a mighty heave, the king swung his hammer, causing Customer Service to shout and flit out of the way to avoid the enchanted steel, though he still felt a surge of electricity flow through him.

"Okay... this isn't in my contract." Customer Service muttered, fixing his glasses before dodging another swing, only to be struck by Sirica's sword as she clashed with Zorra.

The con artist's ghost would get no help from his spirit wolfwrath, as the beast dissipated away after being clenched in the jaws of the Greater Celestial Mastiff. He levitated higher into the air, cringing and shielding his face with his arms as he was nearly struck by both Miachang's and Kautounie's stray combat spells. King Dedede grunted after getting hit by a bolt of black flame, but he still kept coming, his eyes fixed on the man that used and betrayed him.

"N-now look here... Triple D... can't we just... talk this over?" Customer Service begged.

Without a word, King Dedede leaped into the air, his sights set on his nemeses. He took one last swing at the abnormally small man, smiling beneath his steel mask. Customer Service barely had enough time to raise his arms above his head in a last ditch effort to protect himself before the electrified steel of King Dedede's mechanized hammer slammed into him, forcing his ethereal body into the ground, leaving nothing more then a small crater where the hammerhead struck. There was a cry of pain, and that was the last Dreamland's king had to face that con artist from his past... for now, anyways.

"No!" King Dedede shouted, "How bout' that?!"

He panted, taking a look around. Through the chaos, the king could see Tiff and Geoffrey in their own battles, but it wasn't long before he was sucked back into his own as sharp claws tore through his fine robes, down to the skin and flesh they covered. King Dedede growled audibly. Now, for Kautounie's and Sirica's... pests.

While the King of Dreamland fought off Customer Service, Kautounie and Sirica were in the scrap fest of their lives against Miachang and Zorra Bloodtooth. Of all the warriors and demons Sirica had battled in her life, Zorra was perhaps the only one that had finally presented a great challenge, the greatest challenge since Sir Meta Knight himself, in fact. As for Kautounie, the young Redsun princess quickly found her anger and need for revenge presenting almost as much of a problem as her sister's captor herself. Miachang was a ruthless and cruel sorceress, her own thirst for blood driving her into a savage frenzy.

"Oh, young dragoness, you fight with all your heart, yet you're sister wont even know who or what you are anymore!" Miachang hissed, lobbing an orb of black fire for Kautounie.

Kautounie slashed downward with her Defender in a swift motion, leaving the two stray halves of energy to explode elsewhere, though judging by the sudden startled cries behind her, it had probably struck both Customer Service and King Dedede. In a dancing motion, Kautounie twirled her Defender, cutting through a demon beast foolish enough to get in her way, while sending a flame strike Miachang's way. She roared loudly, delighting in the grunt of pain Miachang let escape her mouth.

"You lie, demoness!" Kautounie shouted.

Now Miachang just laughed, an evil smile spreading across her face, "Still such a cub. Didn't your mother ever tell you what Bloodtooths do to Redsuns we capture? Yes, even the cubs. And the little star... he got to watch."

This taunt was too much for Kautounie. She couldn't take any more of this bitch's poisoned words.

Miachang tensed up, sending a barrage of her own ethereal spikes in all directions, following up with a fireball.

"NOOOOOOO!" Kautounie howled, her amber eyes taking on a wild, even insane appearance.

There was no more grace, no more precision, and no more beauty to Kautounie's blade dance. Now it became a wild and berserk rage, driving the Redsun dragoness to impale her rival on the end of her sword, or if need be, her own claws. She protected herself from the Fireball's explosion by means of her icy shield, letting the flames instead consume the surrounding demon beasts and even the stone of Felldersai's walls, following up with a flurry of savage sword strikes, eventually forcing Miachang back against the doors leading into the keep.

Miachang suddenly snapped forward, disarming Kautounie of her Defender, only to have the younger zwetoock rip through her midsection with a swipe of her claws. This did not go unnoticed by Zorra. Even while being assaulted by bullets from Sirica, the Bloodtooth Prince broke off his attack on the young warrioress to go to his mate's aid. He had suffered a few gunshot wounds, though he was either ignoring them or they were truly none to bothersome while Sirica had four long slash marks across her face and her armor was ripped in a few places, the worst of which was on her shoulder from a nasty bite.

"Oh no you don't." Sirica growled, switching her weapon from a gun to a sword when Zorra leaped over her.

The very tip of the blade ran down the length of Zorra's chest, splattering Sirica with a stream of crimson blood. She closed her eyes, if only for a moment, then twisted around with a snarl. Zorra had effectively shredded King Dedede's robes and skin with a swipe of his claws as he bounded forward to where his mate and Kautounie battled, though Customer Service was no where to be seen.

The male Bloodtooth prince had the same wild, untamed look in his eyes that Kautounie had. There was nothing else in the entire universe more important then his mate. With a roar, Zorra pounced for Kautounie, taking her to the ground. Amongst the cries of pain and howls of rage, the two zwetoocks began tearing each other apart, each one unaware of the agonizing pain they were really in. Miachang stepped back, eyes wide, taking only a split second to look up and see how "the Gray One" was faring in his battle.

Suddenly, Sirica sprang forward, leaped up on Zorra's back, then drove her sword through his body. The zwetoock, in his berserk rage, ignored the damage, and instead stood up, reached over his head and grabbed Sirica. Even the tough commando could not stifle a cry as those razor sharp claws ripped into her back and neck. She choked violently when Zorra squeezed her with his grip, then pulled her in and bit. There was the sickening crunch of breaking bones and blood poured from the wound, driving the savage Bloodtooth into a deeper rage. But while he was focused on Sirica, Kautounie had freed her hind legs out from under Zorra, and she raked the Bloodtooth's underside with the claws of her feet, right before kicking him off of her, forcing him to drop Sirica.

Sirica groaned loudly, struggling to get back to her feet. She felt a tinge of fear when Kautounie fixed her wild gaze on her and growled.

"Kautounie... what are you... doing?" Sirica chocked out, spitting blood as she did.

Kautounie didn't answer, though just the sound of Zorra's heavy breathing as he got back to his feet snapped her attention off of Sirica and back to him. Despite both of them being bruised and bloody, they were ready to go back for more.

Miachang quickly surveyed the battlefield. Things were not going favorably right now. A shooting pain suddenly coursed throughout her body and there was a dying scream in the back of her mind, forcing Miachang down to one knee. Pazuzu, she didn't know how, but he had fallen. A large portion of the demon beasts and occultists were fleeing into the keep and back on top of the walls, and now the Celestial Beasts had the upper hand in terms of numbers. Already, she could see Dusk swooping in, "the Untamed One" hot on his tail. The courtyard was lost, but there was still the entire prison fortress to contend with.

"Zorra, my love!" Miachang barked, before her husband started fighting again.

Immediately, the Bloodtooth prince snapped out of his rage at the sound of his mate's voice. Just as Kautounie and Sirica sprang forward, both Miachang and Zorra vanished in a plume of black smoke, leaving the two of them nothing but an empty patch of dirt. There was a taunting laugh from above, and a duel sword beam that partially cut through Felldersai's thick walls, causing some of the stones to crumble and fall into the courtyard.

Kautounie howled loudly, raising her filthy, blood soaked hands into the air as she did. Then she turned to the next closest person, Sirica, still with that insane look in her eyes.

"Don't make... me... Kautounie!" Sirica shouted, still struggling with her injuries as she lifted her sword, "Kautounie? What the hell are you doing?"

"Hey, Kautounie! She's on our side!" King Dedede called, dispatching the last stray demon beast with a single hammer strike.

The king leaped back when Kautounie suddenly turned her aggregation on him. King Dedede had no idea what had gotten into the female Redsun, though he found himself not worrying about that question too much when she began to stalk forward, intent to kill written in her eyes. Both the berserk Redsun and King Dedede were heedless of the fact that Meta Knight, Talon, Geoffrey, and Tiff were fast approaching.

"Kautounie! What... are... you thinking?!" Sirica shouted again, shifting her weapon into it's gun form.

*Meta Knight and Dusk*

Meanwhile, up above, a dangerous bounty hunter and mighty star warrior waltzed in the air, swords clashing with every move. In the skies above Felldersai, all matter of terrible spirits reformed from having had their mortal bodies slaughtered on the battlefield. Their intent; taking revenge on anything that had a righteous, beating heart.

"Hahahahaaaaa!" Dusk laughed, swooping under Meta Knight, leaving the older warrior to clash with a few of the angry spirits, "You've only got one, and... I don't see-" he started, right before screeching to a halt, lest he become a a batamon kabob.

"Miss me already, Dusk?" Jecra asked, his cocky smile hidden under his mask before striking.

Frustrated by this upstart of a spirit, Dusk dropped out of the sky, catching the air again when comfortably out of Jecra's range, then began to fly upwards again, nearly getting struck by the duel sword beam Meta Knight sent his way.

The old knight was fuming, his red eyes darkening to a dangerous level while Galaxia glowed brightly in his hand, pulsing with power.

"Come now, Meta Knight. You're cub doesn't even know who you really are anymore... Kirby doesn't even know himself thanks to... well, you, actually." Dusk taunted, "But, however it works out, you're all worth a bloody fortune to me! And I intend to cash in."

Without a word, Meta Knight cleaved through one of the approaching spirits, uncaring of the others that flocked behind him. Gods help anything or anyone that got between him and Dusk. Bounty hunter and knight clashed in the air once again, but this time, Galaxia slashed across Dusk's stomach, leaving a near identical mark on the bounty hunter as Dusk had given to Kirby back on the Halberd.

"That one was for me!" Meta Knight growled, "As for Kirby, I'll see to it that you never make a single cent off of a star warrior ever again!"

"Hmhmhmmmm, good luck with that!" Dusk laughed, lashing out with the hidden blades concealed within the feathers of his wings.

Meta Knight stumbled back in the air, then glanced to his right arm. There were several, small scratches that were bleeding heavily, dripping down to the courtyard below. For a second, the old star warrior caught sight of the battles going on below, though he didn't have much time to observe before being torn in several directions at once by vengeful spirits. The fiends grabbed hold of his wings first, then his arms and feet. Meta Knight growled audibly, swinging Galaxia as hard and as fast as he could, only to become overwhelmed by the ethereal undead.

"Don't kill him, Nightmare wants him alive!" Dusk ordered, "I want him alive. Besides, now that I see your case, I can't wait to reunite you with Kirby, good sir knight. If only the rest of your little group would just-" he suddenly cut himself off as a streak of celestial blue light scattered the attacking ghosts.

In a matter of seconds, Jecra's spirit took form, keeping the evil spirits at bay. He levitated with his back to Meta Knight, shield out in front of him. Dusk growled in annoyance, though Meta Knight was still getting over the initial shock of seeing his old friend. So now it was confirmed; he wasn't seeing things.

"Come on, buddy! You've got that flashy sword, use it!" Jecra said, "I'll hold these buggers off, just like old times!"

"Hmhm, like old times, my friend!" Meta Knight answered back.

"Your friend there is a real pain in the ass, you know that, right?" Dusk sighed.

Before he got his answer, Meta Knight lunged forward, taking Dusk off guard. Having no longer been hindered by the surrounding demon spirits, the old veteran fought more fiercely then ever. Dusk and the Star Warrior soared over the towers and battlements, around the courtyard, even over Wight Lake, all the while dodging and blocking spells fired from the ground by the occultists and Miachang. While over the cursed lake, Meta Knight twisted through the air like a drill, catching Dusk's wing on Galaxia's tip as he did, nearly crippling the gray batamon's flying ability. Every warrior instinct, every fatherly instinct was telling him to fight until his lungs burst and his heart gave out.

Dusk twisted in the air, feinting a retreat, right before whipping the Venomancer dagger across Meta Knight's face, causing the elder warrior to back off. Thankfully, the black blade only scraped across his mask, leaving an ugly mark that only damaged his appearance, though Dusk now had a good head start on Meta Knight as he flew back to the fortress, though it was clear that he was badly wounded. With a growl, the blue warrior followed.

"Alright... this is not working out as I had hoped. Time for plan B." Dusk muttered to himself, scanning the battlefield below.

To his relief, he could always rely on Miachang to be there for him when the going got rough, though the Bloodtooth princess was in quite a pickle herself. The gray demon could hear heavy breathing from behind him and knew that Meta Knight was still hot on his tail, just as he wanted him to be. Then suddenly, something out of the darkness threw the Gray One off course. For a second, he had no clue what it could have been, other then the fact that it had razor sharp talons. He heard a grunt and a shrill scream from behind him.

Meta Knight righted himself in the air. Something small and difficult to see had attacked him. There was a fresh injury above his shoulder guard, most likely caused by a stinger or a barb of some sort. Then came the throbbing pain, probably from some sort of hell spawn poison.

"Meta Knight!" Screeched Talon's voice, "Watch out! Imp! Bad familiar!"

The old warrior steadied himself, fighting the urge to throw up. He could now see, against the light of the fires burning below, that Neo's owl, Talon, was fighting against a small, monkey like demon with bat-like wings and a stinger at the end of it's long tail. Well, that would certainly explain his latest injury.

"Talon..." Meta Knight called out.

"I've got this, Sir Meta Knight!" Talon screamed, clutching the small imp in her deadly claws, "Get that gray bastard!"

Meta Knight swooped down, mustering the last of his remaining strength. The old knight sent a massive duel sword beam for the gray bounty hunter, panting heavily after wards. He could hear Dusk's taunting laugh over the noise of the fights raging below.

"Well done, daddy Mety!" Dusk shouted, "Now come with me if you'd like to see your cubs!"

After those words, the bounty hunter's form vanished in a plume of black smoke, leaving Meta Knight's sword beam to strike nothing more then the charred black walls of the prison.

"Grrr... no! No! I cannot fail him!" Meta Knight growled to himself, beating his wings faster as he dove down for his landing.

His heart raced as the wind whipped around him. Meta Knight didn't care that he was bleeding and in pain, he didn't care that his armor was damaged. All he wanted was to see to it that Kirby's and Neo's tormentor suffered for what he had done. He took one last look around, noticing that the rest of the fights down in the courtyard were winding down, though his friend's spirit was nowhere too be seen. As Meta Knight's rage and need for revenge consumed him, he did hear Jecra's calm voice in the back of his mind.

 _"_ _Easy there, buddy. Don't loose yourself now. Kirby doesn't just need a fighter, right now, he needs his father,"_ Jecra said, _"Dusk can't afford to kill him. You're all worth more alive. He and his dogs have fled to the fortress to regroup and launch a new attack. Use his insatiable greed to your advantage."_

Meta Knight steadied himself, though not by much, especially when he saw the bulk of his team gathered by the doors of the keep, standing off against Kautounie of all people, with Geoffrey and Tiff sprinting forward. Even from this distance, he could see the wild look in Kautounie's eyes, and instantly, he knew what was going on.

"Oh Kautounie..." Meta Knight sighed, "What were you thinking?"

The old warrior joined with the others, making a rather sudden and rough landing, placing himself between Kautounie and her current targets. King Dedede jumped back with a startled yelp as Meta Knight flexed his wings to their full span, making himself seem bigger and more intimidating.

"Shit! She's done it again!" Geoffrey cursed, motioning for Tiff to stay back with Sirica as he joined with Meta Knight.

"What's this? What's goin' on?" King Dedede asked.

"She's in a berserk rage. Any one of us could be considered a threat to her right now!" Meta Knight warned as he held his ground.

In a daring move, Geoffrey and Meta Knight both took a step forward, resulting in a loud growl from Kautounie. She was deep in the rage, and it would be dangerous to bring her out of it.

"Kautounie... Kautounie... listen... we're your friends, your pack." Geoffrey said, calmly, "We're here for our sister and Kirby. Remember who you are... You told me that you wouldn't loose yourself again the last time this happened."

"You mean this has happened more then once?!" Sirica asked, in shock.

She was quickly quieted by Tiff. Sirica may not have known much about what was going on, but Tiff had seen this before.

"We have all nearly lost ourselves this night... please, my friend, do not go where we can't follow." Meta Knight added, raising Galaxia.

Still wild eyed, Kautounie gazed at her own reflection upon the golden blade, accented by the fires that burned around them. Then she growled and started forward.

"No... no Kautounie, please!" Tiff begged, quietly, yet fearfully.

::TO BE CONTINUED::

 **Author's Notes::** So, the real battle has only just begun! Trash talk and first blood is out of the way and it's on to the action! And who's this? Is Meta Knight really seeing a friend from the past, or has he simply lost his mind? Then again, what about Kirby's and Neo's earlier encounter with the mysterious ghost? And in case you hadn't noticed, I really, REALLY wanted to bring Customer Service back into the game... silver tongued bastard! He'll flatter you to your face while he sticks a knife in your back!

Gee, what a way to leave ya hanging, huh? Reviews are loved! So are PMs.

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	43. Jailbreak of Felldersai Taa Part 2

In You're Nightmares, Jailbreak of Felldersai Taa Part 2

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and a Foul Mouth vs. a Foul Temper, plus Dusk doing what Dusk does best.

*From where we left off*

So, after a daring, not to mention messy battle in the courtyard, (and in the case of some, above it,) our heroes found themselves in a difficult place. They had won the courtyard, but now they had a friend to win back. No, not from any sorcery or imprisonment, rather from herself.

Consumed by rage and anger, Kautounie, during her battle against Miachang, slipped into her berserker rage, and now it was up to her friends to snap her out of it, not just for their safety, but for hers as well.

"Kautounie... easy sister... please..." Geoffrey begged, his heart nearly pounding out of his chest, "Think about Neo... she needs you to fight for her, yes. But she also needs her sister."

"Kautounie?" Meta Knight questioned, his eyes becoming round as the elder zwetoock stalked forward, "Kautounie, STOP!" he commanded, "ENOUGH!"

Kautounie jumped forward with a snarl, slamming to the ground just a few feet away from her companions. She skidded to a halt in the dirt and mud, her head just inches away from Galaxia's tip. When she looked up, her eyes had gone back to normal and her breathing was heavy. Suddenly, all the pain began to creep back, putting her into complete agony.

"Oh dear Sundar, what have I done?!" she howled, lowering her head in shame.

"It's okay, you didn't hurt any of us." Tiff explained, catching her breath after wards.

"She almost did!" King Dedede growled, "She was eyein' me and Sirica like we was T-bones or somethin'!"

Geoffrey and Meta Knight carefully approached Kautounie, the later of the two kneeling beside his sister. Kautounie let out a soft whine. She didn't know how she ended up here like this, or where all these new injuries came from.

"You don't remember, do you?" Meta Knight inquired.

Kautounie shook her head, "The last thing I remember was Miachang... telling me... what-what those rabid dogs have been doing to Neo and Kirby." she explained, looking at the blood coating her paws, "Then... I blacked out."

A few tears rolled down Kautounie's cheeks, even as Tiff soothed away her wounds with a Group Healing spell. Her past and present guilt was riling up inside, driving her to near insanity. The young Redsun knew her anger got the better of her again. In her rage, she nearly attacked her own friends, her own family! The very people who were there to help her, who had her back, who dare I say, love her. More then ever, Kautounie was so close to Neo, so close, yet it felt nearly galaxies away.

"You know, for as long as I can remember, Neo and I never fought with each other. We shared a bond unlike any other of my kind. She has a gentle, caring heart, always putting others before herself. Neo may still be a cub, but she's better then me. She didn't deserve any of this!" Kautounie spat, "And Kirby... ever since I met that little fluff ball, he has taught me that even on the darkest of moonless nights, there is always at least one shining star to light your path."

Meta Knight took in a deep breath, understanding exactly how Kautounie was feeling. He had nearly lost himself as well, and it took the voice of reason from an old friend to bring him back.

"Look at me, young princess." Meta Knight said, gently but firmly, "You have much yet to learn. Remember why we are here. This fight isn't over yet! Your star still has yet to fade. Right now, it's a very dark night for Kirby and Neo. Perhaps they could use a star and dragon's fire to light their path back into our lives!" he finished, as he handed Kautounie back her Defender blades.

Kautounie took in a deep sigh and stood up, gazing to each of her teammates in turn. They were her pack, as she was theirs. Geoffrey and Sirica both raised their guns, Tiff, her wand, and King Dedede, his hammer. With a hoot, Talon soared out of the darkness, perching on Kautounie's shoulder. Meta Knight nodded once, slashing downwards with Galaxia. For better or for worse, they were in this together.

"Damn it, Sir Meta Knight!" Kautounie grunted, raising her Defender blade, "I love it when you talk like that!"

"Oddly enough, so do I." King Dedede admitted.

"Especially with that accent... woof." Geoffrey muttered, quirking an eyebrow.

"Lets get these bastards!" Sirica snarled.

"For Kirby and Neo!" Tiff piped in.

As the team regrouped, the doors of the keep suddenly flung open, unleashing a huge hoard of large, powerful demon beasts into the courtyard. Golden, fire breathing armadillos, giant centipedes, zombies, and boars, all ready to rip into the Star Warriors with all their fury.

With a smirk, Geoffrey pulled out another Exploding Gem from his pocket while Tiff and Kautounie prepped for their fireball spells. Galaxia glowed brightly in Meta Knight's hand, as did his dragon fang knife. Catching the drift, King Dedede readied his hammer and Sirica hefted her gun over her shoulder.

"Lets get what we came for!" Meta Knight growled, his eyes flashing red.

And with those words, the entire team opened fired, obliterating the oncoming hoard and a good portion of Felldersai's main hall. The force of the explosion even managed to shake the fortress and the Sharp Peaks themselves. Once the blast was over, Tiff and Kautounie both cleared away the smoke and dust by use of a Wind spell, revealing the charred patches that had been demon beasts at one time.

"Damn I love my job!" Geoffrey muttered.

"You're not the only one!" Sirica stated, confidently.

With their path cleared, the team reloaded their weapons and entered the infamous prison, Meta Knight and Kautounie at the lead.

"Hey Meta Knight... I meant to ask... who was that... other... thing I saw with you?" Tiff asked, cautiously.

Meta Knight smiled beneath his mask, feeling a strange, warm feeling flow throughout his body, "An old friend from a long time ago. My friends... know as we enter Felldersai, that we are not alone in this battle."

"And we lost him..." Geoffrey muttered, quietly with a sigh. (Er... what was ol' Meta talking about?)

Sirica and Tiff both gave Geoffrey quizzical looks, though in his mind, they really should have been looking at Meta Knight like he was the one who was off his rocker. Meanwhile, King Dedede was just trying to figure out what they were talking about in the first place.

Once inside, Kautounie put her Defender away, opting for Matilda instead. She took in a deep sniff, though all she could get was smoke and ash at this moment. Then her ears perked, hearing a muffled, yet familiar voice call her name.

"Kautounie..."

It was Neo's voice, and Kautounie knew it.

"Damn it, where is she?" Kautounie snarled, "Neo? Neo, I hear you!"

Soon enough they all began hearing voices, some sounding like they were right next to them, others from far away. Worse then all the strange, haunting voices was the smell, like a thousand years' worth of death and decay. Felldersai Taa was a complete maze on the inside... one with a very valuable prize at the end of it... wherever the end was.

*During that moment, in the Dungeons of Felldersai Taa*

In a wave of shadows and black mist, Dusk, Miachang, and Zorra reformed down in the dungeons. Immediately, Miachang cured her mate of his injuries, though to Dusk's surprise, she turned a rather untrusting look to him. More startling, she actually growled at him, pinning her ears and baring her teeth in a threatening display as she did.

"So this was your plan, Gray One?!" Miachang asked -er- more of snarled.

"Your highness, this fight is no where near over." Dusk said, "Those beasts were disposable, it's their job! Think about it, the Stars and Dragons have usurped their strength getting here in the first place, fighting their way through the courtyard, and before you know it, the prison itself will break them!" he explained, "You know what this place does to star warriors and dragons. It eventually drives them mad. Miachang, your highness, remember the wishes of the Deva Noirdomak."

Miachang let out another rumbling growl as she stroked her mate's mane. Zorra nodded to her in agreement of Dusk's words, speaking quickly in zwetoock. He nuzzled against her side, whining softly. Finally, Miachang began to calm down.

"I understand, my princess. That dragon rebel nearly stole from you that which matters most." Dusk sighed, his eyes falling on Zorra.

"I already lost Pazuzu in battle... thanks to that... that bird!" Miachang growled, "But my Zorra means the world too me. He is my heart, my blood, my soul."

Dusk had to pick his moves carefully. The demon beasts were one thing, easily replaced, but a zwetoock's mate, no matter the pack, the mate is and will always be, the greatest treasure to ever be possessed. Never to be replaced, even in death. But it was the male's job to protect the female, which Zorra had honored. However, the loss of Pazuzu... well, lets just say Dusk wouldn't be shedding tears over the imp anytime soon.

"With any luck, Kautounie herself has probably torn her own companions to pieces by now and doesn't even realize it." Dusk shrugged, walking further into the dungeons, "Or her own friends tore her apart, whichever way it works."

He stopped in front of Kirby's and Neo's cell door, pressing a switch beside it before opening the door to take a quick look inside. The gray bounty hunter breathed a sigh of relief. Kirby and Neo were still there, right where they had been left. Certainly not in the best of health, but they were alive and safe. Weakly, Kirby opened up one eye, gazing sadly at Dusk.

"Daddy... why?" Kirby breathed, right before the door was shut again and he light turned off.

Dusk smiled. Just as he left them. Suddenly, the bounty hunter froze when he felt a padded and clawed hand touch his back, but then he felt his injuries fade away.

"Forgive me, Gray One. You have been most helpful to the Bloodtooth Pack." Miachang sighed, "I was wrong to doubt you. The Deva Noirdomak puts his faith in you... how do we bring him his stars and dragons?"

"Simple... we use the love they have for their cubs against them." Dusk answered with a diabolically evil smirk, "That which matters most..."

As he and the Bloodtooth royalty prepared themselves for the next half of the fight, getting several, half-hearted glares from the other prisoners, especially the Stargazers, as they did, there was a muffled, yet loud noise, like a massive bomb going off from above ground. The force of the blast actually shook the ground and rattled the rusty iron bars of the prison cells. They stood still for a moment, weapons at the ready.

"Well shit... this complicates things." Dusk growled, merely annoyed, "Miachang, would you be a dear and get our ghostly friends back on the attack?"

Before Miachang could answer, the familiar forms of Gerard and Alpha Balor appeared, both looking far more battered then before, but willing to rejoin the fight. Materializing on Gerard's shoulder was a spectral imp that looked quite familiar, thus causing Dusk to groan. And here he was thinking that Pazuzu was a thing of the past.

"You don't need to ask twice." Gerard snorted.

"Very well, let's trap our prey." Dusk purred, smoothly, "Miachang, Zorra... ready for the hunt?"

Zorra and Miachang both nodded while Gerard and Balor faded through the walls, though Dusk could hear Gerard's laugh. He felt a chill run through his body when the assassin's voice whispered in the back of his mind, _"Well, well, well, managed to squirm and B. S. your way out of that guillotine, didn't you?"_

Dusk shivered and turned around, but couldn't see anything.

 _"_ _By the way, can I have my dagger back?"_ Gerard pressed, a hopeful tint to his voice.

"Just... go!" Dusk growled.

"Do as the Gray One commands!" Miachang snapped, using hand gestures and speaking in zwetoock just to get her point across clearer.

One thing that was for sure, Dusk would certainly be asking for an increase on the bounty by the time this job was done! They had been far more trouble then he had been expecting, but no matter, Dusk would see this job done. For the money, and for the bragging rights; to be able to claim that he captured Kirby of the Stars and the mighty Sir Meta Knight and delivered them to the Emperor of the Universe, alive... but mostly for the money.

"Lets capture stars and dragons, my friends." Dusk purred, a clever smile on his face, "But first, we'll need to condition them a little. Not to mention, live bait is a must."

*Kirby's and Neo's cell*

In pain and disoriented in the dark, Kirby shivered as he curled up next to Neo. Then the ground shook, causing the already frightened star warrior to quiver uncontrollably. His new wings folded tightly along his back, the soft feathers providing some semblance of warmth. He let out a cry when he felt something grab him, pulling him close. Then Kirby's small hands felt the soft fur on Neo's mane and he relaxed, if only a little.

"Kirby..." Neo sobbed, struggling with the conflicting noises clashing all around her.

She could hear her sister's voice telling her, _"You're going to die!", "He'll get to watch!", "They never loved you!"_ , over and over again, causing her to sob uncontrollably.

"Poyo?" Kirby shivered, tears rolling down his faded blushed cheeks, "Neo... why did Medi Kni and Kauto do this to us?"

He could hear all the same things Neo was hearing, along with a cruel and heartless, _"Pathetic... my child is not weak like you!"_ , that was in none other then Meta Knight's voice.

Then the cell door opened yet again. Fearfully, Kirby pressed himself against Neo's side, shaking violently. She was all he had now... since his family... his friends... his father... had abandoned him to the demons. Kirby could only watch, helplessly, as rough hands grabbed him and tore him away from Neo, holding onto him tightly before dragging him out of the cell. Neo was treated in much the same manner.

*Back in the Smoldering Main Hall of Felldersai*

Kautounie grunted in frustration. She could hear Neo's voice, calling for her, yet there was no sign of her, she couldn't even catch a scent. Meanwhile, Meta Knight could hear a very faint and weak, _'poyo'_ , echo softly through the halls.

"Meta Knight... that sounded like Kirby." Sirica said, tensing up.

"Do not trust everything you hear in this place." Meta Knight warned, "There are still many demon beasts in here."

"Good thing we have backup!"

Before they were in too deep, Tiff whistled for her remaining celestial mastiffs. The great beasts, down to four in number, including the greater one, bounded to their mistress. They skidded to a halt, at perfect attention, awaiting her command, "Alright, search this stupid castle! Kill any demon beasts that get in your way!" Tiff ordered.

At their mistress' command, the mastiffs bounded off down the corridor, then made a sharp left, and were then out of sight. Kautounie decided to leave her owlbears outside, just in case something tried to make it's way out of or into Felldersai by means of the courtyard. Hopefully, the celestial mastiffs would be able to take a good chunk out of any demons, monsters, and occultists still lurking within.

The group came to a stop when the Hall split three ways; to the left, right, and straight ahead. It suddenly became deathly quiet, a worrying sign, as the team started looking around. The smell of blood and death became heavier in the stale air. Though the first thing Geoffrey noticed, and even Sirica noticed, was that there was an explosion that took place here, recently. There were marks on the floors and walls, caused by a powerful blast, fire, most likely.

"We didn't do this one, did we?" King Dedede asked, pointing.

"Nope... but this is recent... I'd say-" Geoffrey started.

"A week or two ago." Sirica finished with a confident smirk.

Geoffrey stared at the little commando for a moment. Even if... Sirica was already taken, (by that cocky twit, Knuckle Joe, no less), there was no denying that those two were made for each other.

"A week and a half, plus a day, six hours, and twenty two minutes ago to be precise." Geoffrey said, holding up his finger like he was teaching a lesson.

Talon ruffled up her feathers, shifting from foot to foot on Kautounie's shoulder, "Big sister... my... my Neo... she was here, wasn't she?"

Kautounie nodded, crouching down on all fours. Through the heavy smell of charred stone and death, she could pick up a faint scent. Ears perked and alert, Kautounie suddenly stood up, "Neo and Kirby... they were most definitely here!"

The young Redsun went through a scenario of what could have possibly happened; there must have been a fight, and Neo and Kirby escaped their captor's hold. A lot of chaos took place, considering that Dusk was struck with the Venomancer. Perhaps while Kirby and Neo fled their pursuers, Neo gave them a parting gift... a fireball to be exact.

"It's a guess on my part... but that's all... I... have..." Kautounie explained, pausing in between words when Neo's soft and gentle voice began to call for her again.

"Alright, Meta Knight, you've been here before." Geoffrey stated, "Where should we start?"

Meta Knight's eyes shifted to green as he thought. He hadn't been here for years, not since the Great Wars were still going strong. Finally, he answered, "Dusk could be holding Neo and Kirby anywhere! The dungeons would be far to obvious, but rest assured that we will tear this place apart stone by stone if he must! Start at the ground level and work our way up. I for one am not leaving until they are found."

"I hope you're not sick of our company, because neither are we!" Kautounie snorted.

And with that, the team started forward. As they explored the castle, the group broke into every room they came across, whether they had to pick the lock, kick, or even blast the boor down in some way. Most of the rooms on the bottom floor were sparse, not even enough to be considered bedrooms, they were more like jail cells without bars. Judging by the smell, they were probably where the lower ranking demon beasts slept. In a few of those rooms, there were some fresh puddles of blood and large paw prints, giving hint that Tiff's mastiffs had already been through and had taken out some demon beasts.

In the upper levels of Felldersai, which were just as much of a maze as the ground floor, there were some nicer living arrangements, though not as nice after our heroes got through with them. Kautounie was going mad; she could smell Neo and Kirby, Dusk and Miachang, yet there was hardly a trail to follow.

"Grrrr... where are they?!" Kautounie snarled, slashing the nearest wall with her claws to vent her building anger.

"Obviously not here." Tiff sighed, running her hand through her hair.

The further in everyone went, the more darkness and dread began to creep into their minds. It was easy for one's imagination to take over in here, and loose more then just their mortal self along the way.

"Nightmare built this place the way he did to confuse and disorient the prisoners he kept here... and any that attempted to rescue them." Meta Knight explained as they strode down a wide, empty hall.

"I'd say it's workin'." King Dedede commented, stepping a little closer to the rest of the group, not wanting to get left behind, "I don't even remember where it was we came in from."

Things were quiet... too quiet. Meta Knight for one knew there were more demon beasts and Bloodtooths in here, yet none of them had reared their ugly heads as of yet.

"Buddy... I noticed the same damn thing." Geoffrey mentioned, seemingly reading Meta Knight's mind.

Meta Knight didn't need to say anything, Geoffrey could tell just by his body language that something was not sitting right with him, and it wasn't long before the others were catching on.

"Where are all the monsters?" Sirica asked.

"Maybe my mastiffs got them." Tiff suggested.

"This is probably Dusk's attempt to mess with our heads!" Geoffrey growled.

The rogue suddenly froze when his father's laugh began to fill his ears. An icy cold draft filled the hall, causing the temperature to drop drastically. With a snarl, Meta Knight sent a sword beam in the direction of the sound, though being unable to see what he was trying to hit, odds were good he probably missed. At least after the attack, Gerard's laugh faded away.

"Come on... let us continue." Meta Knight said, his eyes perverting to bloody crimson once again.

The old warrior was quite uneasy and breathed heavily. All the while, he couldn't help but wonder where Sir Jecra's spirit had gone. It wasn't like his friend to just leave... if he was even really there in the first place.

Shortly after starting up their trek once again, the sounds of a fight could be heard, though it sounded far away, maybe up on the third floor of the keep. Tiff felt her heart skip a beat upon hearing a rumble of thunder, knowing that her mastiffs must have run into some demon beasts. Not much could be heard after that, save for a sharp yelp and several angry battle cries. Before anything worse could happen, Tiff made several quick hand gestures, dismissing her Celestial Mastiffs before they were all slaughtered. She breathed heavily, unsure if she had done the right thing.

"Tiff... it's okay." Kautounie whispered, pumping her shotgun once.

She then perked her ears. There was someone speaking... or rather shouting.

"Grrrr! They just sent their dogs in here to scout!" shouted a shrill voice, echoing through Felldersai Taa, "Those star warrior bastards gotta be around here somewhere, FIND THEM!"

Meta Knight stopped, listening to every word. Then the sound of clawed and iron clad feet pounding on stone floors and stairs reached their ears, and it was coming from all directions. There was shouting, in both common and zwetoock as the noise of the impending battle became louder. While everyone prepped their weapons and readied themselves for battle, Tiff decided that they might need a little extra help. Maybe she could summon the aid of her mastiffs again, or even a gargoyle or a gryphon could be useful.

"Come on, Dr. Knarks... send me something good!" Tiff muttered to herself before completing the spell.

Unlike the last few times Tiff had used the spell, there wasn't a large flash of light or anything fancy for that matter. Suddenly, she found herself wondering where she went wrong, or if the spell even worked.

"I don't see anything." Sirica stated, pointing her gun down the hall, "Are you... sure you did that... whatever it is you were doing correctly?"

"I-I'm not..." Tiff started, looking down to her feet, or rather the large gray rodent in front of them.

"Ah fuck me, where the hell am I?" snapped an obnoxious voice, one everyone but Sirica was familiar with.

Tiff's eyes visibly widened. A large, gray rat with a black spiked collar and a foul mouth could only mean one thing. Nasher! Dr. Knarks had mentioned summoning the wererat during his testing of the spell, but Tiff didn't actually think it would happen to her. Great. Just her luck!

"Who the hell dragged me all the way-oh... you again, huh? Bitch!" Nasher squeaked, standing up on his hind legs, "Hey, move over, who's the cute chick with the gun?"

"What?" Sirica spat.

Tiff growled angrily and Meta Knight actually facepalmed. This was not what they needed right now, especially with a small army approaching them.

"Nasher? Seriously?" Kautounie growled.

"Don't be too quick to judge. Lycanthropes are powerful creatures." Meta Knight mused, "But... I digress. Why this one?"

"Wait, you've met this... this creature before?" Sirica asked, in a hissing whisper and in genuine shock.

"Remember that mad doctor we told you about?" Geoffrey asked, "This is his lab rat."

"I'm a wererat, you asshole!" Nasher shouted back.

"He looks tasty, that's what!" Talon hooted, spreading out her wings in agitation.

"And keep that fuckin' bird away from me! Both of em'! The owl and the mallet-toting lard ass. If there's one thing I hate more then wolves or cats, it's fucking birds!"

"HEY!" King Dedede growled upon hearing Nasher's insult.

Nasher's fur stood on end and his tail lashed. Just one look around was enough to tell him where he was... and he wasn't too thrilled about it. It was bad enough that he was dragged out of his comfy and secure laboratory by a mage he wasn't too fond of. But Felldersai Taa? Was she fucking nuts?

"Oh hell no, bitch! I ain't doin' shit for you! Not after what your pink marshmallow did to me! Not even for the hot, sexy babe with the decent sized funbags! The boss is truly mad if he thinks I'll do anything for likes of you dickweeds! Besides, he's gonna be pissed when he sees that I'm gone."

Tiff had had enough. She reached down, grabbing Nasher by the scruff of the neck and lifting him to her eye level. The rat squeaked and writhed in her grasp, cursing and spitting all the while, "Look here, Nasher! I don't have time for this and I don't like this arrangement anymore then you! Kirby and Neo, two of my best friends, are locked up in this filthy prison and you're going to help us set them free! UNDERSTOOD?!"

Nasher was surprisingly quiet after Tiff's outburst. Even King Dedede looked alarmed. And he thought he was scary when he was mad. Nasher only let out a soft squeak, flattening his ears against his skull when several shouts and footsteps echoing down both ends of the hall alerted him to the fast approaching demon beasts.

"Y-yes, milady!" Nasher answered at last, scurrying up Tiff's arm and settling on her shoulder.

She wasn't too happy having that filthy little monster up there, but at least he was keeping quiet, for now anyways.

"Quickly... this way!" Meta Knight urged, ushering the team to start moving again.

They didn't get very far. After just a few steps, the demon beasts and Bloodtooths in question started pouring in from both ends of the corridor. This could only one thing; fight your way through!

"Take the Untamed One alive!" shouted one of the Bloodtooth mages, "Kill the others should they resist!"

The Bloodtooths hung back while the demon beasts moved in for the attack. Without missing a beat, Meta Knight sent a sword beam down the right side end of the hall, clearing out a pretty good chunk of the monsters, while Sirica, Geoffrey, and Kautounie fired their guns down the other end. In a spatter of blood, guts, and dissipated energy, a good portion of the hoard was already taken out, forcing the Bloodtooths into battle after all. The team stood back to back, with Meta Knight, Tiff, King Dedede, and Nasher facing right, and Geoffrey, Kautounie, Sirica, and Talon facing left.

"Alright, Nasher!" Tiff commanded, "Show me what you've got!"

"Hmph, I'll get these bitches off your ass!" Nasher squeaked, scampering off of Tiff's shoulder.

The small rat charged the oncoming demons, dodging the spells fired at him from the opposing Bloodtooth mages. Meta Knight joined in the attack, sending another sword beam while Tiff covered the two of them with her own combat spells. Then Nasher leaped forward, his size shifting drastically as he assumed his were form. There was a startled yelp from the Bloodtooth he picked out as his first target. With a single swipe of his claws, the zwetoock's organs had been rearranged. Nasher ignored the attacks of the surrounding demon beasts, as his wounds were healing as quickly as they were being inflicted.

"Nice try, bitches!" Nasher shouted, scattering the surrounding monsters with a gleeful laugh.

Meta Knight wasted no time, while the fray was scattered and confused, he flitted his wings, giving himself an extra burst of speed. The star warrior twisted through the air, drilling through a large centipede. With a screech, the demon beast disintegrated, nearly covering Meta Knight with a shower of acidic, green blood. The old warrior grunted, ignoring the pain, before swiftly beheading two more targets. He was covered in cuts and scratches, many of which were bleeding. Meanwhile, King Dedede leaped into the fray, (literally,) surprising the fiends by landing right on top of them, plastering them into the stone floor with his girth... then the hammer started coming down.

"Well done, your majesty!" Meta Knight complemented, before spewing another monster's guts out with a swing of Galaxia.

"I think I'm finally getting' the hang of this monster killin' thing!" King Dedede called back.

Nasher had been doing a fine job tearing through his own demon beasts. But then, a powerful blast of bluish-green energy knocked him right off his feet, and this time, the wounds were not regenerating. The wererat squeaked fearfully, lashing his worm-like tail. Uncharacteristically, the remaining Bloodtooths fled from the battle as something else joined in the fight.

"Ummm... Meta Knight?" Tiff and King Dedede asked in unison, feeling a cold chill running throughout their bodies.

"Oh fuck!" Nasher squeaked, his fur bristling.

During that same time, while Nasher was helping Meta Knight make mince meat of the demon beasts on his side of the battle field, Geoffrey, Sirica, and Kautounie had been using the ones of their end for target practice. Though for every one that was slain, it seemed like there were always two more to replace their fallen comrade.

"There's too many of them!" Sirica shouted.

"Well if there's one thing I've always despised it is a fair fight! HAHA!" Geoffrey laughed, with just a hint of insanity to his voice.

He fired off his massive magnum until it clicked, then switched to two glock pistols and started firing again. Kautounie had painted the walls red with blood as she moved forward, using every last shell carried in Matilda's chamber. Amongst the noise of the gunshots, she could hear the rest of the battle going on behind her. Kautounie struggled against herself, the smell of blood driving her mad. She wanted to let her inner beast out again; these things were in between her and her sister. Finally, once the monsters had moved in too close, Kautounie switched to her Defender blades and started hacking away.

Talon spread her wings and took off through the air, raking her claws through the oncoming hordes in precise aerial strikes. As soon as the opposing mages hiding in the back began to cast their spells, Talon switched targets, opting to disrupt them and ruin their spells while the rest of her companions cut the demons down to size.

Sirica charged forward with a fierce battle cry. In a single motion, she already relieved three hell hounds of their heads, leaving what was left to burst into flames. Geoffrey, meanwhile, his pistols emptied, had switched to his clawed gauntlets, using a form of zwetoock martial arts to tear through the oncoming monsters.

"You will not keep me from her!" Kautounie shouted, "If I have to kill a thousand more of you, then I will!" she added, driving her blade deep into an opposing Bloodtooth.

Suddenly, almost as quickly as the battle started, it ended. The remaining beasts and Bloodtooths fled, though there was something about the looks on their faces that told them that something really nasty was headed it's way. A chill ran through everyone's spines and the corridor became deathly cold. The team regrouped together, all of them gazing around for whatever was about to come next.

"Meta Knight... what is this?" Sirica asked, whipping her head from side to side.

"We're being watched!" Meta Knight growled, scanning the walls with a critical eye.

Tiff felt her heart race as she saw movement within the walls. Nervously, she took a step forward, wand held out in front of her.

"I'm not scared of you!" Tiff proclaimed, "Show yourself!"

Just as quickly as she said that, a large form leaped from out of the walls with a roar, baring it's teeth in a threatening display. Fearfully, Tiff leaped back as the rest of the group turned around to see what just happened.

"Heheheh... I don't know, you look pretty scared to me, pup!" the spirit of Alpha Balor pointed out matter-o-factly before fading away again with a laugh.

"Tiff!" Meta Knight called out, kneeling beside her and helping her back up.

"I-I don't understand... I killed him!" Tiff stammered.

The entire hall suddenly echoed with ghostly laughter, causing the already cold air to become colder. Geoffrey felt that familiar dread fill his heart as he felt his murderous father's soulless eyes land on him.

"You can't kill what's already dead!" Gerard growled, his gray phantasm forming from the shadows, "Didn't you know that, stupid girl?"

"But it sure is fun to watch you all try." Customer Service added in as he too appeared.

Fearfully, King Dedede backed up, swallowing a dry lump in his throat. These things were nothing like the ghosts Nightmare Enterprises had scammed him with years ago. His heart pounded just looking at them, let alone when they touched him.

"I for one am not afraid of you!" Meta Knight stated, taking a fighting stance.

"Neither am I!" Kautounie shouted.

"You can try all your tricks, but it wont work on me! I'll fight till my last breath!" Sirica declared.

"Dad... just go to Hell already!" Geoffrey growled, shaking his head.

Gerard just glanced to the other ghosts by his side, and the imp spirit on his shoulder began laughing. Talon's feathers ruffled up as she perched on an unused torch holder in the hall; didn't she kill that thing already? Meanwhile, Nasher backed away, squeaking and lowering his posture fearfully.

"Nasher!" Tiff called, dryly.

"Look, funbags, even my claws and teeth can't touch a ghost! Forget it!" Nasher snapped, "See you bitches later!" he shouted before fleeing, shrinking into the shadows.

"Hey! Get back here!" Tiff shouted, "NASHER!"

"Hmhmhmhmmmm. You might want to listen to your giant mouse, child, lest you become a ghost yourself!" Gerard shouted, making a sudden lunge, "And trust me, you DON'T want to be stuck here with us."

The assassin's spirit shrieked, flying forward with two knives in his hands. Bravely, Geoffrey and Meta Knight both stepped in front of his attack for Tiff, however, they found it was unnecessary, as another ethereal blade drove itself through Gerard's already mangled body. In wispy blue mist, the form of Sir Jecra appeared in front of them. At first, they thought it was yet another ghost sent to attack, but then they saw where his sword was, not to mention Meta Knight's reaction.

"Sorry I'm late." Sir Jecra grunted, pulling his blade out of Gerard.

The assassin growled angrily as he flitted back to Balor and Customer Service. Finally, Tiff managed to speak, "I-is this a-a-a friend of yours?"

"Yes. Sir Jecra, Knight of the Galaxy Soldier Army and Father of Knuckle Joe! Out of retirement for the time being, it would seem." Meta Knight introduced.

"Hey, I like him already." Geoffrey commented.

"Introductions can wait!" Sir Jecra said, "Meta Knight, Kirby and Neo are nearby, just down the hall, up the stairway in the last bed chamber to your left. But be careful, this could be a trap. Dusk and his Bloodtooth attack dogs are also close at hand! Hurry! You go on ahead, I'll hold them off."

"My friend-" Meta Knight started.

"GO!" Jecra shouted, "Don't worry about me, I'm already dead!"

Grudgingly, Meta Knight and the others left, though Sirica, King Dedede, and Geoffrey had to drag Kautounie away, since she was more then willing to stick around for the fight. With a startled hoot, Talon flitted off her perch after them.

*Sir Jecra's battle*

Jecra sighed heavily, looking over his shoulder to make sure Meta Knight and his team did as he asked. Once alone with him, the ghosts of Gerard, Pazuzu, Balor, and Customer Service rounded on Sir Jecra, all with identical, evil smiles. So brave, so foolish. Such was the way of the star warrior, it seemed.

"Jecra, Jecra, such a noble and valiant soul, even in death." Gerard sighed, "We'll be at it all night."

"Indeed! Though given your previous records, I'm sure my employer would like to have you back in his service, given the mayhem you brought during your final days of life." Customer Service added.

"And as I said before, Gerard, I've got plenty of time!" Sir Jecra growled, raising his shield and blade to prepare for battle, "As for you, Customer Service... I have since quit Nightmare Enterprises!"

With a mighty cry, Jecra clashed with all four ghosts at once. His sword effortlessly cut through the spirit of Pazuzu, though really, that little thing could hardly be considered a threat, however one of Gerard's daggers found it's way past Sir Jecra's shield and right into his side. Jecra simply pulled the knife out, letting the spirit weapon phase right through the floor, causing Gerard to snicker.

"Damn, you are good at what you do." Gerard complemented, "I see why you were Sir Arthur's lap dog."

Jecra smiled beneath his mask before delivering his next round of sword blows, cutting his way through Customer Service and Alpha Balor while Gerard flitted into the walls. Like the coward he was in life, Customer Service raised his arms in front of his face, before trying to grapple Jecra. Needless to say, it wasn't working out too well. But while Customer Service was playing tackling dummy, Alpha Balor took this opportunity and attacked, breathing a plume of spooky greenish-blue fire. With a grunt, Jecra raised his shield, letting the flames bounce harmlessly off him. As the hound's spirit moved in for a bite, Jecra swung downwards, giving Alpha Balor a taste of hard, ghostly steel instead. Whimpering, the hell hound retreated into the walls, only to be replaced with Gerard.

"I told you... all damn night!" Gerard shouted, right before getting struck with a powerful, spiritual sword beam.

"Hmmm, what do you know, I've still got it!" Jecra muttered to himself.

The fight went on like this for a while. After getting struck by another spiritual sword beam from Sir Jecra, Alpha Balor fled, whimpering and howling. Eventually, Customer Service was forced to retreat, once he realized that his supernatural powers that had worked so well on the living were useless against the spirit of a star warrior. As for Pazuzu, well, all Sir Jecra had to do was look at him funny to make the little imp's ghost scram. Finally, that just left Gerard to face Jecra, alone.

"Now it's just you and me... just the way I like it!" Gerard hissed.

"I'm not that into you!" Jecra answered back, deflecting two thrown daggers with his shield.

As Jecra approached, his sword glowing with power, he smiled, seeing the fear in Gerard's eyes. He knew the coward was no match against a fully armed and prepared star warrior, that's why he was famous for slashing their throats while they slept or stabbing them in the back with his poisoned dagger. Gerard drew two more knives out of his coat and dashed forward. One of his daggers found it's way past Sir Jecra's armor, however the sharp pain in his chest told him that Jecra had also landed his mark. The two ghosts hovered for a moment, Gerard with his knife in Jecra's side, and Sir Jecra with his sword right through where Gerard's heart used to be.

"That's two for two!" Jecra sneered, ripping his sword out, sending a splatter of ethereal blood all over the walls

Gerard glanced down to the even bigger hole in his chest, then back to Jecra, tilting his head like a questioning dog.

"Pfttt... screw this! I'm outta here!" Gerard stated at last, "But I'll be back!"

He may have been a ghost, but he had had enough of being beaten up on account of his rival, Dusk. That little puff ball was on his own as far as Gerard was concerned. As Jecra took one last swing, Gerard's phantasm vanished, leaving the star warrior nothing but the thin, stale air of Felldersai Taa to cut through.

"Hmph... all night my ass! Don't bore me." Jecra sighed, turning around and heading back to where Meta Knight and the others had gone.

He could hear a loud commotion going on, a verbal war of sorts. With Gerard, Alpha Balor, and Customer Service under control, he knew his friend Meta Knight could use some assistance right about now. But first, he would have to see about an abnormally large... rat problem.

*Meta and Company*

While the team's new best friend, Jecra, held off the angry, vengeful, not to mention powerful spirits, Meta Knight led the way down the hall. He would often look over his shoulder at every clash of spectral steel, at every cry of pain. It was impossible to tell who was winning the fight. Meta Knight didn't feel right; he didn't like leaving Jecra like this, even if it was the ghost of his friend's former self. However, his thoughts were quickly snapped back when a softly spoken 'poyo' reached his ears.

"That's Kirby!" Tiff said, sprinting ahead, "Jecra was right!"

Kautounie, although partially distracted from the battle, suddenly caught a scent. Her sister's! She was close. Suddenly, she didn't care about the ghosts, or the fact that Nasher had abandoned them. Finally, the group reached the last door on the left, which was already open.

It was a large bedroom, richly furnished with nice chairs, a nicer liquor cabinet, and fur pelt rugs on the floor. The fireplace within was lit, providing the only semblance of light within the room. On the mantle was a small suit of G.S.A. armor, the same armor Meta Knight had given to Kirby, in fact, beside Neo's bow and quiver of arrows. Against the far wall was a large bed, but it was what was on it that stole everyone's breath; two limp forms, that of a pink batamon and pink maned zwetoock cub.

"My son! Kirby!" Meta Knight called.

"Neo!" Talon cried out, her amber eyes wide as she perched on Kautounie's shoulder.

Kirby and Neo were both laying on the bed, their eyes tightly closed. The crude bandages that had been covering their wounds had been torn off and left on the floor, showing the full extent of their injuries. Both of them were gagged and had their hands shackled behind their backs. Kirby and Neo were still breathing, if only barely. The poor things looked anemic, not to mention terribly thin and small; obviously they had not been cared for very well. Meta Knight could see something white move a little along Kirby's back, though he wasn't sure what it was.

At the noise of of the group traipsing into the bedroom, Neo and Kirby moaned painfully, opening their eyes about half way. Any luster within those bright amber and blue eyes was gone; all there was left was pain and sadness. As their rescuers approached, Kirby and Neo trembled, wriggling against their bonds and burying themselves into the blankets and fur pelts on the bed. Quickly, their breathing had increased, becoming quick and shallow. It was then did Meta Knight and the others realize that Kirby and Neo were... afraid of them, terrified, even.

"Mph. No-yo..." Kirby whimpered through his gag, tears rolling down his face as he looked at Meta Knight, "Mphaddy... mphy?"

"Meta Knight... why is... Kirby scared of you?" Sirica questioned, unsure of what exactly had been going on.

"Yeah, I thought that little guy couldn't get enough of you!" King Dedede added.

"Oh by Sundar's wings, what has Dusk done to them?" Kautounie asked.

As she rushed forward, Geoffrey suddenly grabbed her and held her back, earning a painful nip from the distraught zwetoock. Kautounie gazed at him reproachfully; how dare he keep her from her sister. She needed her, now more then ever.

"Kautounie... ow!" Geoffrey groaned, pulling his bitten hand back.

"Brother... what are you doing?!" Talon demanded, flexing her wings.

Kautounie's own breathing increased as she looked at her sister, huddled against the fur pelts and pillows, gazing fearfully at her, like she was just waiting for all the pain to start up again.

"Wait!" Meta Knight shouted suddenly, skidding to a halt, "We're being watched!"

"Meta Knight! Watch out!" Geoffrey called, his keen eyes catching sight of something more or less out of place on the floor.

Kautounie let out a low, rumbling growl, flattening her ears against her skull. Just as Meta Knight and everyone else stopped and looked around, the damage had already been done. The blue warrior's armored foot landed on a well concealed trigger on the floor. Once the trap was activated, it created a disorienting flash and nauseating fumes. Kautounie and Tiff didn't even have time to raise their shields before the explosive went off. King Dedede was the first to fall to his knees, hacking and coughing, while one by one, the others quickly joined him, dropping their weapons in the process. Through the smoke, a shadowy form above them could be seen, watching.

"Glad you all could make it." Dusk purred, gliding down from the rafters, landing next to Kirby and Neo on the bed, "As you can see, the little ones are safe... if not entirely sound." he added, smugly, while using his wings to blow any lingering smoke away from him.

Once the smoke cleared, Meta Knight dragged himself along the floor, coughing violently, though he managed to reclaim Galaxia and clutch her tightly in his hand. As his vision cleared up, he could see Dusk pull out a black knife, the Venomancer most likely, and put it to Kirby's throat. At once, Meta Knight remained very still.

"Kirby... no... my son!" Meta Knight whispered in horror.

Even as the rest of the group began to recover, things only got worse once Miachang and Zorra showed up, along with more of their Bloodtooth goon squad. Dusk glanced to each one of his disoriented targets in turn, an insufferable smile on his face. The Bloodtooth royalty made themselves comfortable... right next to Neo, while the rest of the pack kept an eye on the Star Warriors and Redsuns. One of the Bloodtooths picked up a rather angry and upset Talon, though the owl was too disoriented to effectively fight back. Kautounie growled again as she heard Neo whimper. The poor cub curled her tail between her legs as she was propped up into Miachang's lap, flinching every time the Bloodtooth princess ran her hand through her mane.

"Neo... what-what have you... done to her?!" Kautounie howled, struggling just to stay up on all fours.

"Kirby and I have been training together. Alas, he needed motivation to work with me." Dusk explained, "I'll admit, I've never seen a cub such as Neo endure so much pain. Even then the little guy was defiant, so I had to turn to harsher methods, as you can see. All for the well being of my cubs."

"You disgust me, Dusk!" Meta Knight snapped.

Kautounie snarled loudly, her outburst quickly quieted by a magic missile from Miachang. The young Redsun yelped and collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily. Sirica, who had the same idea of rebellion, was put to a halt as well in a similar manner.

"Leave them alone, you bastards!" Geoffrey shouted.

"I'm sorry, but you don't get to call any of the shots here." Dusk snorted, "You've already destroyed my roost and a good portion of my minions, isn't that enough?"

"No!" Geoffrey answered, earning an annoyed glare from Dusk.

"What do you want with them? With us!?" Sirica choked out as she regained her footing.

"Didn't I tell you? Don't you already know? I'm a bounty hunter. You're all worth a lot of money to me!" Dusk snarled, "Especially the Untamed One and his cub... well, my cub now. Hmhmhmmmm."

Meta Knight's eyes flashed red as Dusk began to stroke Kirby. The badly tortured child trembled, whimpering through the gag in his mouth. He wriggled a little in discomfort, flexing his small, feathery wings. Wait a second! When did Kirby get wings?! Meta Knight felt his heart sink a little; seeing Kirby like this... it was more then any father should have to bear.

"See what's happened while he stayed with me?" Dusk asked, stretching out Kirby's small, white wing so Meta Knight could see, "They just came in, early this morning in fact. Too bad you weren't with him to see it. Poor thing was in a lot of pain. Still is, too. No matter, it'll probably mean a little extra pocket change once his Grace sees these little beauties."

The bounty hunter smiled, then continued to stroke his prized possession, all the while firmly keeping Venomancer to Kirby's throat. Miachang and Zorra both tensed up as the Star Warriors and Redsuns were slowly recovering from the shock of the flash bomb Dusk had set on them. It wasn't long before Dusk noticed it as well.

"Ah, ah, none of that." Dusk warned, catching King Dedede as the penguinoid reached for his hammer, "You all seem to be recovering faster than I anticipated. Here, all of you, put these on!" he added, grabbing a set of shackles from off the bed.

Dusk tossed each one of the team members a pair of manacles. Meta Knight breathed heavily, looking down at the restraints in front of him in disgust, and the others weren't to thrilled about it either. The other Bloodtooths standing behind them started shouting and barking in zwetoock, pointing to the chains in front of their soon to be captives.

"Hell no, I'm not about to put these on!" Sirica shouted, "Make me!"

"It may just come to that, girl." Dusk warned, flaring out his own wings with a growl, "What a fierce one, you are. You'll fetch me a nice price from His Grace."

"I'm with Sirica. What if we don't?" Tiff demanded, "Then what?!"

"Well then I'm afraid I'll have to kill these two little cubs." Dusk answered, "Or rather... you'll kill these two little cubs."

"You wont kill them." Kautounie challenged, "They're worth nothing to you dead."

"Actually, only half right, your highness. You see, a stray sword beam or bullet would put an end to these poor things rather quickly. Couldn't have that guilt on your conscious, could we?" Dusk sighed, "That aside, little Kirby... yes, my employer has special plans for him and his daddy, but as for sweet little Neo... well, I get paid for a beating heart or a corpse, same with rest of you. Ether way, I will get what I want, the question is, will you? So what will it be?"

Kautounie couldn't take her eyes off of Neo. She let out a loud growl when Zorra roughly grabbed her sister. The Bloodtooth Prince turned to Kautounie, grinning, just daring her to do something about his abuse of her sick and injured sister. Even Sirica, who had always been hard-hearted and stoic herself, found herself in a tough spot. She considered just ignoring Dusk's demands, taking up her sword instead. The tough little commando was still weak from the blast, and by the time she even got to her blade, Neo would be dead, and as for Kirby... well, if Nightmare was involved, it can't have been good.

"Do I have to repeat myself? Put those chains on!" Dusk ordered, removing the Venomancer from Kirby's throat over Neo's stomach instead, pressing the blade against her skin, "By now I'm sure you all know what Venomancer is capable of. Given her condition, I'd say she'd writhe for about five minutes before finally dying an excruciating death!"

So now it wasn't enough for Dusk to just take them captive. He was going to humiliate them as well. Finally, Meta Knight decided. Shakily, the old knight rose to his feet, Galaxia still in his hands. His wings flexed against his back, preparing for flight. In order, Kautounie, Geoffrey, Sirica, Tiff, and King Dedede all got to their feet as well.

"Kautounie... you dared Nightmare to send his best... didn't you?" Dusk taunted, "And he did. Me! Now please... just make this easy on yourselves... and if not for you... then for the little ones here."

"Neo..." Kautounie breathed, fighting back the tears stinging her eyes.

Meta Knight breathed heavily, debating his next move. Should he or any of the others strike now, it would mean Neo's death. Should they do nothing and surrender, it would doom them all to a life of torment; worse yet, it would mean that Nightmare could never be stopped. The entire Galaxy and beyond would become that tyrant's playground. It was just to horrible to imagine! The genocide would never cease, it would never be enough for Nightmare. As a Star Warrior, this was something Sir Meta Knight could not allow.

"Kirby... my son... forgive me..." Meta Knight sighed, "I'm sorry, Neo, my friend."

 _"_ _Hey... buddy... you're not alone."_ whispered Jecra's voice in Meta Knight's ear, _"I'm still with you. Do as Dusk asks... for now. You remember what we did back in the good ol' days, right? Remember how I got you out of that mess on Darkstar?"_

At the sound of his friend's voice, Meta Knight felt a new warmth, a new strength fill him. Dusk did not have the powerful hold over them that he thought he had. There was still one more player in this game, if not more. Meta Knight took in a deep breath, praying his friend knew what he was talking him into.

"Do as he says." Meta Knight consigned at last, dropping Galaxia before picking up the shackles and locking one of the cuffs around his wrist.

"Sir Meta Knight?!" Tiff questioned.

"Do it!"

The Gray One watched gleefully as each of them placed the chains around their wrists and surrendered their weapons. Finally, he had them all, plus a few extra, and as he had told Nightmare, they would be delivered to His Grace in chains. Miachang and Zorra spat taunts and insults in the zwetoock tongue, all the while, stroking Neo's mane like she was their pet, enraging both Kautounie and Geoffrey even more. Tiff and Kautounie had also quickly discovered that their sorcery had become null and void, giving more then just a hint that there was some sort of curse upon their chains. Just what was Meta Knight thinking? Why did they listen to him again? Why were they willingly gift wrapping themselves for this greedy bounty hunter? Pft, why not just put a nice, big, red bow on themselves?!

"There, see? Was that really so hard?" Dusk asked with a laugh, signaling to his Bloodtooths to grab his prisoners.

"I hope to Sundar you know what you're doing, Meta Knight." Kautounie snarled, flexing her wrists against the chains.

"Trust me..." Meta Knight breathed, facing their captor with angry, crimson eyes, "I know."

::TO BE CONTINUED::

 **Author's Notes::** Thoughts anyone? I for one really enjoyed writing the fight between Sir Jecra and Gerard. Gerard was never one for close combat. His specialty was slinking in the shadows and offing his targets while they were off guard, (sleeping targets were his preference, especially at night when he thrived). The assassin really wasn't much of a match for a fully armed and alert Star Warrior, and we see that here.

Tsk, tsk, Dusk... you sly devil, you. In many ways, Dusk is a lot like what Kirby or Meta Knight were originally intended to be when created by Nightmare. On the outside, cute and cuddly, doesn't look like much of a threat. But on the inside, nothing but a relentless, cold-blooded killer that does whatever it takes to get ahead.

Aren't I just lovely to these characters? Kidnapping and torturing young children, having our heroes beaten up, stabbed, burned, poisoned, and humiliated by their current nemesis? Yes, while I fully admit to enjoying fluff, I can just as easily go down the route of sadism too! Ha... ha... ha...

Now then... I know some of you may be frothing at the mouth in response of the cliff hanger I left you with. Just keep in mind that if you send in your own assassin to get me one creepy, dark night, bear in mind that I wont be able to post any more chapters.

Niener, niener, niener!

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	44. Deep Wounds part 1

In You're Nightmares, Deep Wounds part 1

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and a VERY Pissed Off Daddy.

So, how was this supposed to work out exactly? Well, when preparing for the raid on Felldersai Taa, putting themselves in Dusk's shackles and chains was not originally on their list of things to do. But... that's what ended up happening. Though to be fair, being disoriented and weakened by a particularly well placed and expertly concealed trap trigger Dusk had all set up for them sort of helped quicken the decision, not to mention the fact that Dusk was more then willing to kill Neo should anyone resist his order. The greedy bounty hunter examined his prisoners with a smug smirk; so predictable. To think what they were willing to sacrifice for the lives of two little cubs. So much for love!

"Didn't I tell you, Miachang, your highness?" Dusk asked, running his fingers through Kirby's feathery wings, "Love is far easier to exploit then fear."

Meta Knight glowered, his eyes flashing red. The old warrior grunted when the Bloodtooth guard at his side kicked him, then started barking in zwetoock, before spitting on him. He glared up at the black pelted zwetoock indignantly, though he didn't do anything... yet.

"Alright, come on, we mustn't keep the Deva Noirdomak waiting." Dusk purred as he put Venomancer back into his sheath before plucking Kirby up and flitting to the ground, "He's been waiting a while for these upstarts. But, before we begin, search them."

Kirby let out a pained moan through his gag as he was manhandled, though he made no attempt to fight back; not that he was in any shape to resist, mind you. Miachang roughly handed Neo over to her mate to carry, much to the displeasure of Kautounie and Geoffrey.

"Oh hell no. I don't care what you all is doin', you can't give me to Nightmare for money!" King Dedede shouted, ramming his girth into the Bloodtooth that was holding him, slamming the lithe zwetoock to the floor.

While the Bloodtooths ganged up and began to beat King Dedede into submission, removing his steel mask as they did, Meta Knight sighed audibly, rubbing the front of his forehead with his hands. He knew Sir Jecra was in the room with them, he could see the ghost's form flit out of the walls, watching over them, waiting for the right moment to strike. Sadly, King Dedede wasn't helping the situation any.

"Silence, fat-so, or it'll be your corpse I present to His Grace!" Dusk snarled, "That's enough!"

Having previously been weakened already, King Dedede submitted pretty quickly. Sirica had considered fighting back herself, though after seeing what happened to the portly king, she thought it best to play along with whatever Meta Knight had in mind, for now. Besides, the old star warrior knew what he was doing... didn't he?

"I'd really like to get a hold of Nasher by the time we get out of this!" Tiff grumbled to herself, watching as the Bloodtooth searching her took away her brass knuckle knife and spell book, "That little coward just abandoned us!"

"Patience, Tiff." Geoffrey whispered, before sharp claws digging into his shoulder told him to keep quiet.

If anything, while Dusk disarmed them, it bought the group time... time to recover. Though, it was quite amusing to see the look on the Gray One's face at the large amount of guns, knives, magazines, clips, bullets, rounds, and even a few small explosive devices being piled up in front of Geoffrey as he was searched. As all the weapons were gathered into a pile, both Sirica and Meta Knight got a guilty pleasure from watching the Bloodtooths electrocute themselves on Galaxia, as the sacred sword would not tolerate any of them handling her. Tiff, however, was just praying they wouldn't find the Star Rod piece on her. She had taken extra precautions to guard it after the incident in Harmony, now the girl just had to hope they'd work.

"If it's any consolation, well played, all of you." Dusk complemented, "I haven't had this much of a challenge since... well, ever."

"Game's not over yet, Dusk!" Meta Knight warned, glaring as his dragon fang knife was taken away and tossed on the pile of weapons,"By the end of this night, I'll have my son back, and you will be the one in chains."

"Well, you might find that quite difficult from your position, Meta Knight!" Dusk snorted, shifting Kirby in his arms, "I don't see you're little ghost buddy anywhere, and there's still an entire legion of demon beasts under Princess Miachang's command in here. Now then, the dungeons are not far from our position, so lets get moving. A pity you wont get to stay in the quarters I had all picked out for you lot, but we're going straight to Nightmare himself."

"Funny... I don't see your ghost buddies either, Dusk." Geoffrey commented with a snarky smile.

"Get moving!"

They hadn't even taken two steps when Miachang tensed up, the way she did when she knew there was a spirit around. Then came the surprised and pained cries from further down the hall, followed by a squeak and some foul language.

"That mother fucking bastard, Gerard..." Dusk grumbled to himself, unfurling his wings and handing Kirby over to one of his other Bloodtooths.

The gray bounty hunter took out both the Winterclaw and Venomancer before striding to the doorway, flanked by two female mages. Suddenly, there were more loud yelps and a small pack of hell hounds went sprinting down the hall, baying in fear and leaving a trail of blood behind them.

"Gray One, we're not alone!" Miachang snarled, whipping her head around with a roar, summoning her mage's staff into her hands, "The Star's spirit is here!"

"Your highness-" Dusk started, right before one of the occultists limped to the doorway, leaning heavily on the frame for support and bleeding profusely from the scratches and bites all over his body.

The human occultist couldn't even get out a word before he choked on his own blood and collapsed in front of Dusk. Now it was Tiff who couldn't believe her eyes. No, not because of the gruesome death suffered by some Nightmare worshiping monster, (to be fair, her sympathy was limited anyway), rather the large, ugly gray rat that scampered over the corpse, his fur caked with fresh blood.

"Forget about me, bitch?" Nasher asked, standing up on his haunches as he locked eyes with Dusk.

"What the hell?" the gray bounty hunter balked, orange eyes wide.

Tiff fought to conceal her triumphant smile. She knew Dusk had no prior experience with Nasher, at least none that she knew of, and therefore had no idea just what that little rat was capable of. Meanwhile, Sirica and Geoffrey's eyes darted from their now alarmed captors, and towards the pile of weapons on the floor. If their calculations were correct, they could reach it in time... maybe.

Then it happened, all at once. Nasher suddenly leaped forward, his form shifting from that of a common dungeon rat to a massive were-creature with a snarl, taking Dusk and his guards completely off guard. Dusk ducked out of the way, nailing Nasher with the stinging cold steel of Winterclaw, though he was quite wide-eyed. Even as Nasher was pelted by spells fired from the Bloodtooth mages, he tore into his chosen target, killing her before moving onto the next. Talon had also found the strength to fight back. Angrily, the owl jabbed her beak into the mangy zwetoock holding her, drawing a large amount of blood as she did. Next, came the claws, and in a flurry of slashes and flapping wings, she was free. During that same time, Sir Jecra made his presence known, sifting out of the walls and slaying a few of the guards holding onto the star warriors and Redsuns.

"Cutting it a little close there, Jecra!" Meta Knight grunted as his friend's ghostly sword cut through his shackles, "Now I clearly remember where your son gets it from!"

"Hey, you're still breathing, aren't you?" Jecra asked, a cocky smirk hidden behind his mask, "Have faith, buddy."

While Nasher was keeping the bulk of the Bloodtooths busy, Jecra moved on to free the others of their bonds, starting with Sirica, though before he could free any of the others, the star warrior's spirit felt something grab him, like an invisible hand holding him back.

"To Hell with you, Star!" Miachang hissed, tightening her necromatic grip on Jecra.

She smirked triumphantly when Jecra's ethereal form faded away, though there was something about the look in his eyes that told her that he wasn't finished with this fight. Meanwhile...

"Shit!" Dusk cursed, sheathing Venomancer and quickly picking Kirby up from out of the arms of the now dead Bloodtooth guard before the pink warrior could struggle free.

The bounty hunter froze when he felt the point of cold steel against his skin. He looked up to see a very angry Meta Knight, Galaxia in hand. Well then, if this was the way the old star wanted it... then fine! Dusk retorted with Winterclaw, still holding onto Kirby as he did. Before he was able to retreat behind his guards though, the gray bounty hunter suffered a rather painful and nasty cut from Galaxia, from his shoulder all the way down his right arm.

"AAAHHHGGGGGHHHRRRRRR! Zorra, kill the little dragon, if you please!" Dusk shouted, pain straining heavily in his voice.

*Kautounie, Geoffrey, Tiff*

Once Nasher initiated the first blood spill, Kautounie threw herself into a frenzy, attacking anything that got between herself and Neo, even if Jecra had already gotten to them first. She didn't seem to hindered by her bonds either, other then that she was unable to access her sorcery, but if anything, they were an extra weapon to be used.

Geoffrey, who had already slipped out of his chains, dove straight for the weapon pile, grabbing the first gun his hands came in contact with. He fired twice, nailing Miachang in her leg, earning a pained scream in the process. Tiff, still in her shackles and unable to use her sorcery, ducked to the ground, out of a swinging paw's reach with a scream. She clumsily took hold of a knife, which one, she really didn't care, and jabbed it into her attacker's flesh, giving him something else to think about.

"Kirby, Neo!" Tiff screamed.

Over the noise of the fight, Dusk's order could clearly be heard. Kautounie nearly felt her heart stop. Dusk had just told Zorra to slaughter her sister, to which the vile Bloodtooth would gladly oblige.

"NOOOOOOO!" Kautounie howled, pouncing forward.

She didn't care about her injuries or her own pain. All that mattered now was Neo.

With sadistic glee, Zorra tilted the helpless cub's head back as he held her, then he raised his claws to Neo's throat, intent on ripping it right out. That was until Kautounie leaped right on top of him, bringing both him and Neo to the ground with a solid 'thud'. As Zorra and Kautounie grappled and snapped at each other, Geoffrey slipped in, dragging their little sister out of Zorra's grip. At the sound of the snarl behind him, the rogue turned around, seeing a wounded Bloodtooth mage raise her flaming paw into the air. She would have nailed him too, had it not been for King Dedede taking his mallet and slamming her into the far wall for Nasher to devour.

"Thanks, your majesty." Geoffrey panted.

"No need to thank me! I'm really beginin' to hate these dogs!" King Dedede growled, right before he sent another Bloodtooth packing.

Chains or no chains, King Dedede could still swing that hammer, and swing it well!

Meanwhile, Miachang heard her mate yelp as he was locked in a brutal fight of claws and fangs with Kautounie. She hissed loudly, ignoring the pain in her leg from the gunshots, courtesy of Geoffrey. As she moved, the top of her staff began to pulse with dark, necromatic energy. Behind her, Miachang could hear Dusk call for her. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing the Gray One in a rather difficult pinch against both Meta Knight and Sirica, then she heard her mate cry out for her again.

"Zorra!" Miachang howled.

The zwetoock halted in her tracks, feeling yet another sharp pain course through her body. When the sorceress looked down, she could see Tiff, driving her knife deep into her flesh. Miachang growled, swatting Tiff away like she was merely an annoying insect, sending the already weakened girl sprawling to the floor. Tiff screamed in pain when the energy that had been meant for Kautounie was instead transferred to her. Satisfied, Miachang cured her injuries with a quick healing spell, but nothing could have prepared the Bloodtooth princess for what was about to happen next.

"You will not touch her again, demon!" Kautounie snarled, before delivering another bite to Zorra's neck, earning a pained roar from the Bloodtooth prince.

Both Bloodtooth and Redsun were covered in fresh cuts which bled badly, and due to her restraints, Kautounie couldn't get the leverage that she usually would have in a scrap such as this. With a powerful kick, Zorra dumped Kautounie to the ground, though not before slamming her into the bed frame, letting him roll on top of her before mauling her again. Geoffrey meanwhile, had dragged Neo out of harms way, overturning the couch near the fireplace as he did to use as a makeshift shield. Then he crouched over Neo to protect her from the flurry of claws and teeth nearby, raising his gun as he did. He hesitated, unable to get a clear shot.

"Damn it!" Geoffrey cursed, pulling his gun up with gritted teeth.

As Zorra and Kautounie tore each other apart, Kautounie slipped out from under him and leaped onto his back. Even as Zorra bucked and spun around, trying to knock Kautounie off, she looped the chain of her her shackles around the Bloodtooth prince's neck and began to pull with all her might, cutting off his air supply.

"You tortured my sister!" Kautounie roared, jerking her improvised garrote, trying to snap Zorra's neck, "You tortured my friend!" she paused, heaving in a few deep breaths in her outrage, "For Neo... you shall feel the dragon's wrath you demonic son of a bitch!"

When he wasn't dying fast enough, Kautounie sunk her fangs into Zorra's neck. She didn't even wince as the few remaining Bloodtooths slashed and scratched her, nor as Miachang's spells pelted her body. All clashes of steel and sounds of gunshots faded from her ears. Right now, all the Redsun princess could hear was the slowing beat of Zorra's heart, followed by his dying gasp. The Bloodtooth's red eyes dilated before his last breath escaped his mouth. He fell to his knees, then face down on the floor, unmoving, blood spilling from his neck. When Kautounie lifted up her head, she spat a large, bloody chunk of flesh from her mouth. She was very weak, her stamina all but spent, though her fearless spirit burned brightly in her golden eyes as she locked her gaze with Miachang's.

"You took my sister, Miachang." Kautounie growled, "Now I've taken that which matters most! We're even now."

For a moment, Miachang was at a complete loss for words. Her love, her heart, her soul, her mate... was gone for good. The Bloodtooth princess was ruined, for she was nothing without her husband.

"Z-Zorra... ZORRA!" Miachang howled in grief, collapsing to her knees, speaking in the zwetoock tongue, _"No, my love... my soul! ZORRA!"_

Very quickly, the widowed Bloodtooth's sadness turned into a thirst for revenge and blood. With a pain filled roar, Miachang charged forward, summoning a surge of arcane energy. Kautounie raised her arms to intercept the attack, though as soon as Miachang touched her, Kautounie began to feel her remaining strength dwindle at a rapid rate.

"No, Kautounie!" Geoffrey shouted, pistol whipping a Bloodtooth that had dared to come too close before putting two more bullets into Miachang's body.

The bullets made their mark, but with Miachang's siphon draining Kautounie of her strength, the Bloodtooth princess regenerated rapidly, curing her injuries. Tiff, meanwhile, was only just regaining consciousness. The young mage moaned as she struggled to her hands and knees, barely opening her eyes. Suddenly, panic struck. She didn't remember what exactly had happened, only that she had been hit with a nasty spell of some sort. Out the corner of her eye, she could make out Meta Knight and Sirica battling it out against Dusk for possession of Kirby, nearly running into Miachang and Kautounie as they did. Geoffrey and King Dedede were protecting Neo, as she lay helplessly on the floor, against the rest of the Bloodtooths. But then the girl could see that things were not going to well for Kautounie, despite the fact that she was kneeling upon Zorra's lifeless corpse. Even Talon, the feisty bird she could be, dug her claws into Miachang, only to be swatted away like an annoying bug.

"Grrrr... I-I can't...Ahhh!" Tiff cried out, fighting just to stand.

Suddenly, everything stopped once a brilliant flash of ethereal light and deep blue mist filled the room. Miachang halted her rage as the ghostly mist took shape right in front of her, once again becoming the star warrior spirit, Sir Jecra. Before she could get out a single word, Jecra grabbed Miachang's head in his hands, pushing her away from Kautounie and forcing her to release her hold.

Kautounie fell down on all fours and choked for breath. When she looked up, she could see Jecra hovering in front of her, forcing Miachang to stare directly at him. Then, a terrified ear piercing shriek filled the entire room.

Everyone, with the exception of Kautounie, backed away fearfully and wide eyed as Miachang began to age at a rapid rate. Even Nasher and King Dedede were smart enough not to interfere. Miachang's once chocolate brown fur and her red mane turned pale, ugly gray and her feathers and steel jewelry began to rust and decay. Shorty, her screams turned dry as the flesh of her body evaporated to dust, followed by her bones. In the end, all that remained of Miachang Bloodtooth was an old, brittle staff, the star warrior's mask she had once carried as a trophy, and her cracked, wolf-like skull, which Jecra still held in his hands.

All was deathly quiet, for a moment or two, anyway. Suddenly, a sharp, freezing chill filled the room. Two, ghostly shapes began to take form, unmistakably those of the fallen Bloodtooths. There was nothing within their hollow forms but hate and loathing. Miachang's and Zorra's spirits lunged towards Sir Jecra, intent on making him share whatever sort of Hell awaited them. Sir Jecra raised his shield arm, still holding Miachang's skull in his hand. The blue gemstone in the center glowed with holy light, effectively blinding the two angry spirits. As soon as Miachang and Zorra came into contact with the star warrior's shield, their forms dissipated.

"They will NOT be coming back!" Sir Jecra said at last, letting the skull drop to the floor, "I have seen to that myself."

"D-d-damn!" King Dedede stammered, shrinking back, as far from Jecra as he could.

Dusk swallowed the dry lump that formed in his throat when Sir Jecra turned his hard gaze towards him. He remembered how close he came to having the same thing done to him, and he wasn't about to stick around for it, especially now that Miachang was not around to save him anymore. Money was one thing, but it wasn't worth shit if you weren't alive to use it.

Without a word, the bounty hunter suddenly struck Meta Knight's wings with his own, cutting through the leathery membranes with the small, sharp blades concealed within the feathers. He sucker punched Sirica in much the same way before tearing out of the room, Kirby in tow.

"Dusk!" Meta Knight howled, flexing his injured wing before giving chase.

"Get back here and fight, you coward!" Sirica shouted, following suit.

*Meta Knight and Sirica*

While Kautounie was slaking her thirst for blood, Meta Knight locked blades with Dusk in front of the doorway. The old warrior had already flayed open Dusk's sword arm with precision, while still leaving Kirby completely unharmed. Dusk had tried to hide behind his living shields, but with Nasher on the hunt, they didn't last very long. Then the Gray Demon gave the order. Yes, he wasn't joking around, he was more then willing to spill Neo's blood to make his point clear.

"Her blood is on your hands, Meta Knight!" he shouted, making a beeline for the open door, "I tried to make it easy on you, but you just had to resist my order. Don't waste my little cub the same way."

"Stop saying that! Kirby is not your apprentice... and he's certainly not your son!" Meta Knight snarled, lunging for another strike, blocking Dusk's escape route.

With a growl, Dusk suddenly lashed out with his wings, slicing across Meta Knight's forehead with the small blades within the feathers. He delighted in the pained grunt, watching as the thick, red blood dripped into Meta Knight's eyes. Then something else caught his attention. Dusk dropped Kirby to the floor, using his wing to push him against the wall and out of the way, ignoring the groans of discomfort coming from the smaller batamon. Quickly, Dusk drew the Venomancer, using it to block the incoming sword strike that could have easily left him cleaved in two.

"You certainly do take after your mother, young one." Dusk growled, his orange eyes glaring at Sirica, "I can help you join her. All I need is your corpse to get my pay!"

"Good luck getting it, bounty hunter!" Sirica spat, before breaking off and going in for another strike.

Dusk ducked out of the way, bringing up Winterclaw to block Meta Knight's incoming attack and Venomancer to intercept Sirica's. He barely dodged a swipe of Nasher's paw, as the wererat was still tearing into a female Bloodtooth with savage fury.

"Miachang!" Dusk shouted, frantically.

On the other side of the room, Dusk could see that Miachang and her mate were in no position to help him out. Zorra was engaged in a vicious brawl with Kautounie, and Miachang had plenty of her own problems. At the sound her her name, the Bloodtooth princess glanced over her shoulder, if just for a moment, then turned away to assist her husband instead.

Realizing that he was alone now, Dusk fought more brutally then ever before. His heart pounded wildly and his breathing became heavy. Where were the other demon beasts? Surly they would have heard the noise by now!

Dusk took an upwards slash at Sirica, nearly cutting into the commando's skin with the Venomancer. Meta Knight nearly felt his heart stop, though Sirica had no idea just how close she came to understanding the meaning of true agony.

"Hey, bitch, how about some help over here!?" Nasher called out, squeaking as an enchanted bone knife was driven into his shoulder.

"You abandoned us, Nasher!" Sirica shouted, backing further into the room before preparing for her next attack, eyes still focused on Dusk.

"I came back, didn't I, bitch?" Nasher asked, swatting the knife-wielding warrior he battled to the floor, "Besides, as I explained to your spook friend, I was getting backup. Why do you think none of the other demons have shown up yet?"

Sirica's attention was drawn away from Nasher's bitching at the sound of a pained grunt from Meta Knight. The blue warrior grasped at his shoulder, his once white glove soaked crimson. He sported a nasty, frostbitten stab wound, right under his shoulder guard. While Meta Knight was momentarily distracted, Dusk made a move to grab Kirby, though he was stopped by a painful sting from Galaxia.

"Tis but a scratch, Dusk! I'm not through with you yet!" Meta Knight growled, forcing Dusk back further into the room.

As Meta Knight and Sirica continued their fight against Dusk, they could hear Kautounie screaming in rage, though it was difficult for them to make out what she was saying. There was much shouting and confusion going on around them. During their battle, Dusk had sheathed the Venomancer, then scooped Kirby up in his free arm, using the bound child as a shield and causing Sirica to reconsider using her weapon's gun form. Galaxia glowed brightly with power in Meta Knight's hands, but with his rival holding Kirby the way he was, he couldn't afford to let loose his sword beam... not yet, anyways.

Then finally, Zorra fell to Kautounie's wrath. At that same time, Tiff was only just beginning to recover and get to her feet. Then both Meta Knight and Dusk realized that something was missing.

"Why, it would seem that your good friend has abandoned you and Kirby, Meta Knight!" Dusk panted, an insane grin forming on his face, "Good news for me."

With a snarl, Meta Knight sent his sword beam through the room, echoed only by the shots fired from Geoffrey's gun. The crescent blade of light clipped Dusk in his wing, only because the gray bounty hunter dodged just in time. Meta Knight felt his heart pound wildly when he heard Kirby yelp, thinking he might have accidentally struck him as well. Meanwhile, he and Sirica could both see Kautounie writhing as Miachang shouted, then began to drain the young Redsun of her very life force.

"Child, forgive me." Meta Knight muttered softly, turning his gaze to Kautounie and Miachang, then back to Kirby and Dusk.

"Better choose, Meta Knight! Your cub or the dragoness!" Dusk shouted.

Then it happened. In a blaze of ethereal light and mist, Sir Jecra made his triumphant return. The ghost shoved Miachang off of Kautounie, severing the spell, before forcing the Bloodtooth princess to gaze directly into his eyes. At that point, Miachang let out the most terrified and horrible scream imaginable.

Dusk could only watch in horror as the Alphess Bloodtooth's daughter aged at a rapid rate, becoming a hollow corpse, then dust, leaving only her brittle skull, her staff, and her trophy behind. For the longest time, the noise of the battle faded, leaving only sharp, short breaths and the pounding of beating hearts to be heard. At first. Then the angry and vengeful Bloodtooths' spirits had reformed, intent on tearing their killers to pieces. In a short fight, Sir Jecra raised his shield, sending a pulse of holy blue light from the gemstone set in the center of it. As soon as Miachang and Zorra's ghosts made contact, their forms vanished. Sir Jecra had effectively sent the angry spirits away, back where they belonged.

Then the star warrior spirit spoke, "They will NOT be coming back! I have seen to that myself."

A very weakly spoken comment from King Dedede was uttered, right before he backed away, as far from the star warrior's ghost as he could get.

Now Sir Jecra's eyes landed on Dusk, causing a chill to run through the bounty hunter's entire body. He could feel Kirby shift in his arms, whimpering through the gag cutting into his mouth. Without a word, Dusk lashed out at both Sirica and Meta Knight with his wings and the blades hidden within them, tearing through the blue warrior's wing as he did, before fleeing, Kirby in tow.

"Dusk!" Meta Knight howled, flexing his injured wing before giving chase.

"Get back here and fight, you coward!" Sirica shouted, following suit.

As those two pursued Dusk and Kirby, Nasher looked up, watching as the one remaining Bloodtooth zwetoock fled from the room, whimpering and howling, "Hey, all ya bitches, say hi to my friends while you're out there!" he called.

"Kautounie, Tiff, you two stay with Neo!" Geoffrey shouted, grabbing more of his guns, including Nivendethas, from the now scattered pile on the floor, "Those guys are gonna need backup!"

Before either of them could protest, Geoffrey had already taken off, hot on the trail. That left Tiff, Kautounie, King Dedede, Nasher, and Talon to tend to Neo. Sir Jecra was still with them as well, though when the ghost flitted down to Tiff, the girl backed away, fearfully, and understandably so.

"It's quite alright, young warrior." Jecra said, "I did what had to be done." he sighed, before releasing Tiff of her shackles.

While Jecra moved on to free the rest of his new found friends, including Neo, Tiff dryly spoke the words to a group healing spell, though in her weakened state, it didn't have a huge effect, but it was enough to get them moving freely again.

Once free of her chains, Kautounie hugged Neo close to her, gently running her paw-like hands through her sister's thinning fur. Tears rolled down her face, in sadness and relief. Neo was still alive, if only barely. She opened her eyes, trembling as Kautounie gently licked her forehead. With a whimper, Neo fell unconscious in her older sister's arms.

"Neo... stay with me... please..." Kautounie begged, "I have you now... you're safe."

"Tend to her now." Jecra said gently, "Don't worry, if this is truly the Meta Knight I know, he'll get back safely."

"Wait... I'm... I'm going... owww... too him." Tiff moaned, "Kirby... he needs me."

She wanted to be with Kirby, that's where she belonged, but clearly she was in no shape to fight.

"Kirby will be alright, Tiff. His father will see to it." Jecra mentioned, before his form flitted away, "There are still many angry and malevolent spirits lurking within these walls. I'll see to it that they will be no threat to you. Hurry, Neo and Kirby have both suffered much and will be in need of treatment."

So, while Meta Knight, Sirica, and Geoffrey gave chase and Jecra rounded up the evil spirits, King Dedede and Nasher remained behind to guard them. While Nasher began the unpleasant task of dragging dead bodies out of the room and King Dedede silently prayed that Sir Jecra would not turn his wrath upon him for some unknown reason, Kautounie gently lifted Neo up and carried her to the bed. The poor thing was filthy and in dire need of medical treatment. Well, while they waited for Meta Knight and the others to come back, they might as well start with what they had at this moment.

As Kautounie groomed the caked dirt and filth from Neo's body, she couldn't help but notice the medallion around her little sister's neck. When both Tiff and Kautounie tried to take it off, it wouldn't budge. Finally, after using a Remove Curse, Kautounie tore the cursed medallion that had been hanging around Neo's neck. With a snarl, she threw it into the fireplace, resulting in a small burst of flame and energy, which in turn startled the already frightened King Dedede. Talon perched atop the headboard of the bed, looking down on Neo as the little cub struggled in a fitful sleep. With the shackle binding Neo's sorcery removed, Talon could suddenly feel her mistress' pain and the torment going through her mind. The owl flinched, closing her eyes. How could Neo possibly still be alive after such suffering?

"I-is-is she... g-g-gonna be... okay?" King Dedede asked, nervously.

"It's far too soon to tell." Kautounie sighed, "Tiff... can you help me clean her wounds?"

"Of course I can." Tiff answered back, with tear filled eyes, "Oh Meta Knight... please bring him back safely." she whispered to herself.

 **IYNMs~IYNMs~ IYNMs~ IYNMs~ IYNMs~ IYNMs~**

Meanwhile, as Kautounie and the others tended to Neo, as well as their own injuries, Meta Knight, Sirica, and Geoffrey were hot on Dusk's tail. They followed the bounty hunter through the hall, down a flight of stairs, catching sight of the tips of Dusk's wings as he made a sharp left down the adjacent corridor.

"If my memories of this place serves correct, I believe this path leads to the dungeons!" Meta Knight said.

"Good, we wont have too far to drag him then!" Geoffrey grumbled.

As the small team followed a trail of black feathers and Kirby's pained cries, they came across the remains of a battle that had taken place, very recently, in fact, at a T in the hall. There were some charred patches on the stone where hell hounds once stood, and any demon corpses that did not explode or disintegrate looked as though they had literally been eaten alive. Several squeaks and startled shouts and war cries later, everyone found out why. Down the corridor to their right, was a huge swarm of rats, some common, others of an alarmingly large size, keeping a host of demon beasts at bay.

"Guess that was the backup Nasher was yapping about!" Sirica commented before continuing after Meta Knight and Geoffrey.

It was quite a terrifying spectacle to behold, as powerful demon beasts and devout occultists had hundreds upon thousands of these things crawling up them, eating as they went, while their targets were still alive! A horrible way to die, but no less then the monsters of Felldersai Taa deserved.

Suddenly, a muffled 'poyo', took everyone's attention back to the mission at hand. There were only two ways to go, right, where Nasher's buddies were currently residing, or left.

"This way, hurry!" Meta Knight urged.

The further down they went, the more the sounds of the fight faded away, to be replaced with the pounding of Dusk's steel plated shoes slamming against stone as he ran. It was much darker down here, with the only lighting being provided by dim, flickering lights in the ceiling. The floor slanted downwards, leveling off after a few yards, ending in a a set of reenforced double doors that were already open. A few large, ugly rats scurried along the floor, though oddly enough, they took great care to go around Meta Knight and his companions.

A feeling of despair hung heavy in the freezing cold air as the cries and moans of those trapped inside, both living and dead, echoed in the hall.

"Prepare yourselves for what you will see behind these bars." Meta Knight warned.

"Trust me... we can take it!" Geoffrey growled.

"That bastard ain't getting away with Kirby!" Sirica snarled, shifting her weapon into it's gun form before heading inside.

 **IYNMs~ IYNMs~ IYNMs~ IYNMs~ IYNMs~ IYNMs~**

Dusk couldn't believe his eyes, or what was happening for that matter. How did it come to this? Not twenty minutes ago, did he have all the rebels before him in chains, now he only had one, with the others hot on his tail and intent of taking him back. Miachang and Zorra, both dead, and the army greatly dwindled, no more then fodder. As Dusk made his way towards the dungeons, Kirby writhed and squirmed in his cruelly tight grip, weakly opening his eyes.

"Mphhh...oyo..." he whimpered through his gag.

"Quiet, little one! You're staying with me!" Dusk hissed, "Remember, I'm daddy now. If anything, I'll at least have you to present to Holy Nightmare. That old geezer will just have to take what he gets and like it."

He took a nervous look over his shoulder and could see that he was still being pursued. But he was close, so close now. Felldersai Taa could be taken back, and with Kirby in Nightmare's grasp, there would be no one to stop the dark overlord. As Kirby squirmed in Dusk's grip yet again, the bounty hunter tightened his hold, while putting Winterclaw to the young, terrified warrior's throat.

"I said quiet!" Dusk spat.

Once the two of them reached the dungeons, Kirby's eyes welled up with tears. Not in there... not again, anything but that place of death and torture!

Much to Dusk's surprise, the doors were already open and the floor... was moving. Then something sharp and annoyingly painful struck Dusk in the ankle. Suddenly, he realized it wasn't the floor that was moving, rather it was a swarm of rats! They were moving quite oddly, like they were coordinated for a precision attack... far to complex for any ordinary rodent. Then Dusk remembered... the wererat!

"That fucking lycan!" Dusk snarled to himself.

Roughly, Dusk put Kirby into an easier to hold position before flitting into the air. He wasn't about to try and negotiate his way through the miniature beasts, though at this moment he really would have liked to have had Miachang to just blast the little pests away with a flick of her hand.

In a mad dash, Dusk made his way past the guard post and down to the prison lab. Right next to the lab was the room that held his Monster Transporter, his (and Kirby's), ticket out of this hell hole. Dusk, now free of his rat problem, dumped Kirby on the ground, once again reminding him to keep quiet and still, while he unlocked the door to the transporter room.

Confused and in pain, Kirby no longer fought against Dusk as he was dragged inside. It was a simple room, possibly a large prison cell at one time. Now it was only occupied by a single, complex machine, the Monster Transporter system. Kirby sobbed painfully and closed his eyes as Dusk hefted him onto the transporter's pad. As the bounty hunter started to set his coordinates, causing the machine to roar to life, a familiar voice filled the back of his mind.

"Leaving so soon?" Gerard asked, "Awwww... and we were having so much fun together."

"Not now, Gerard!" Dusk growled, "Go away, you fucking bastard!"

Now the assassin's ghost only laughed, his gray phantasm appearing over Kirby. The pink warrior shivered and whimpered as Gerard placed his hand on his back, sending a freezing chill throughout his body, "Ahhhhh, so cute, so cuddly... and so dangerous. You know, I really hate you batamons!"

"Well I'm not too fond of you either! Now get out of my way, I have a bounty to cash in on!" Dusk snapped.

"Hmhmhmmmm, fine... I'll... stay out of your way then."

With another laugh, Gerard's ghost flitted away, leaving Dusk and Kirby alone... or so he thought. The bounty hunter hastily fiddled around with the knobs and buttons on the Transporter, setting his destination, that was until a clean cut sword beam cleaved through the machine's power source. Dusk felt his heart sink as the transporter sparked and whirred, then shut down, leaving the bounty hunter in the darkened room. He turned around, finding himself facing Meta Knight, Geoffrey, and Sirica as the three of them blocked his escape route.

Now the bounty hunter began to panic, finding himself cornered. He quickly drew the Venomancer, then leaped onto the transporter pad, holding the poisoned dagger to Kirby's throat.

"I'll kill him! Don't think I wont." Dusk warned.

"He's worth nothing to you dead, Dusk! And neither am I!" Meta Knight growled, taking a step closer.

"Just rebellious Star Warriors. There will be more like you." Dusk scoffed, "I'm not out of business yet! This would just be a mere accident of the job. Nightmare will just have to get over himself. Or better yet, I'll just find myself a new employer."

Meta Knight calmly walked forward, shifting his wings back into his cape. Sirica and Geoffrey flanked him, guns at the ready.

"Really? More like us? An "accident" of the job?" Meta Knight questioned, wrapping his cape around himself, "And you dare to call Kirby your son!"

Before Dusk even had a chance to react, he suddenly found himself staring right into Meta Knight's bright, golden eyes as the star warrior appeared in front of him with a flap of his dimensional cape. In panic, Dusk raised both his weapons to strike Meta Knight with a shout, only to be overpowered and subdued by the elder warrior. During his frenzy, the Gray Demon had dropped the Venomancer in a failed attempt to run Meta Knight through with it. He flailed his wings wildly in his attempt to escape, the blades within the feathers slicing through some of the unarmored parts of Meta Knight's body, though the old veteran didn't even flinch. Now Dusk didn't even care about taking Kirby to Holy Nightmare. Right now, it was his life on the line.

"Oh no you don't." Sirica hissed, taking a single shot, nailing Dusk in the wing.

Geoffrey had considered splattering Dusk all over the room with a single shot from Nivendethas, but thought better on it once he saw Meta Knight and Sirica had everything under control. Instead, the rouge decided to make sure Kirby was alright... or at least, still alive. (Trust me, the poor little guy was FAR from being 'alright'.)

"Hey, hey, it's okay, bud." Geoffrey said, gently as he knelt over the terrified child to remove his restraints.

Meanwhile, the Gray One panted heavily as Meta Knight pinned him to the floor, Galaxia at his throat. Dusk's pained expression twisted into a smile as he began to laugh. He could see Gerard, hovering within the walls, but doing nothing to aid him.

"Oh... you bastard..." Dusk moaned, consigning to his fate.

"Shut up, Dusk!" Meta Knight growled, pressing Galaxia further into Dusk's skin.

"Go on... kill me... do it." Dusk dared, his breathing quickened.

"Meta Knight... what are you waiting for?" Sirica asked, noticing how much the old knight was hesitating.

"How about it, buddy?" Geoffrey asked, snatching up Venomancer from the floor.

He could see Dusk's eyes visibly widen in fear. The bounty hunter had already survived one bout with that deadly knife, he knew just what sort of pain he'd be in for, and there would be no one to save him this time. At least Meta Knight would make it quick and clean... wouldn't he?

"Neo is my sister too, and Kirby is my friend." Geoffrey growled, "Should I finish what the boss lady started?"

"He tried to take me too! I for one would be happy if he never saw the light of another day!" Sirica hissed, "Come on, one shot, right to the head!"

Finally, after a few minutes of pained silence, Meta Knight shouted and raised his sword, ready for an execution style swing. Dusk closed his eyes and prepared for the strike to come and for darkness to take him. He knew he was going straight to Hell. But the strike never came. Dusk opened his eyes just in time to see Meta Knight slam his sword into the stone floor beside him. Right about now, the bounty hunter's heart was beating a mile a minute. Then Meta Knight answered, coldly, "No... death is far to good for him!"

Wait a minute, they would spare him? Meta Knight was more foolish then Dusk had originally thought. The Gray One's terrified face twisted into a dark smile and he began to laugh again.

"HmhmahahhahaaaaaAAAAAAA!" Dusk laughed, "Your love for that cub has truly softened your heart, Sir Meta Knight! You're weak, just like he is!"

"I wouldn't be so quick to judge if I were you. What I propose is no act of mercy!" Meta Knight snarled, "You shall suffer as my son and Neo have suffered! Geoffrey, Sirica, if you would, help me restrain this bastard!"

Whoa! Neither Sirica nor Geoffrey expected that... not from the chivalrous Sir Meta Knight anyway. He was usually the prim and proper one. Dusk really must have struck his last nerve.

Sirica kept the greatly wounded Dusk where he was and stripped him of his weapons and armor, finding a set of dungeon keys as she did. Those could be useful. Geoffrey meanwhile, handed Meta Knight the shackles that had been used to bind Kirby to lock around Dusk's wrists instead. Gladly, Meta Knight placed Dusk's hands behind his back and restrained them, as tightly as he could.

"Kirby doesn't even know who you even are any more, Meta Knight!" Dusk shouted, grunting as Sirica butted her gun against the side of his head, "You think you'll save his sweet, tender innocence by sparing my life in front of him? By not slaughtering me here and now? I've got news for you, Meta Knight, it's already gone! Kirby and Neo will never be the same again! I've seen to that myself! Hahahahaaaaaaaaaa!"

"Sirica, gag him, please!" Meta Knight snarled, shoving Dusk to the floor.

"This asshole always did talk too much." Geoffrey commented.

Meta Knight had had enough of that monster. The old warrior could get some consolation when Dusk's tauntings became nothing but unintelligible, muffled garble, but then his eyes landed on the small, huddled form still laying on the Transporter pad.

Kirby weakly looked up to Meta Knight, shivering. The poor thing's wounds had reopened during the ordeal, leaving Kirby wet with his own blood. Meta Knight gently placed his hand on the child's forehead, feeling how uncomfortably warm it was. He could feel Kirby tense underneath his touch, curling into a ball, wrapping his wings around his body.

"Kirby... it's okay, my little warrior." Meta Knight said, gently, as he removed Kirby's gag, "You were very brave... but the fight is over now."

"Daddy...Medi...Kni... why... did you...?" Kirby rasped, "A-all... l-l-li-" he passed out before he could finish, though Meta Knight already knew what Kirby was trying to say.

The only thing that remained, was why he was saying it. Gingerly, Meta Knight picked up his adopted son, cradling the child in one arm and holding Galaxia in his other hand, then he turned to face Geoffrey, Sirica and Dusk. His eyes flashed red as he looked directly at Dusk, whose face twisted into another evil smile, even with the gag in his mouth.

"Shut up!" Sirica snapped, forcing Dusk to his knees.

So then, they were people of their word. This wasn't a dream, a nightmare, it was real. Kirby and Neo were back with their companions and now it was Dusk who was bound with his own chains. The gray batamon bowed his head in defeat, looking up only when Meta Knight used his sword point to make Dusk look up at him.

"Bring him this way!" Meta Knight hissed as he turned to leave the room and head further down into the dungeon.

Geoffrey hefted Dusk up into his arms, earning several muffled yet pained and indigent grunts from the bound and gagged bounty hunter. The rouge pinned Dusk's wings to his side, making the gray batamon very uncomfortable. After collecting the bounty hunter's, (not to mention Kirby's), gear, they followed Meta Knight deeper inside the dungeon, the air of dread hovering in the air becoming worse and worse. Thankfully, many of the cells were empty, save for a few bones of the poor soul who previously occupied them, there were few that had animated corpses inside, snarling and roaring at anything and anyone that came too close, but then there were the higher security cages towards the back.

Sirica for one, recognized the zwetoocks crammed inside; she had seen them when she first crash landed on Horva, they were the Stargazers. Dungeon life had not been kind to these creatures. Many of them had wounds, from both battle and torture, that were open and infected, while others, including young cubs, appeared to be sick and underfed. Sirica herself felt sick just looking at them, the same way she felt when her eyes fell on Kirby. If Nightmare's forces were willing to do this to the people unlucky enough not to die on the battlefield and destroy entire civilizations, where would they draw the line? Or would they ever draw a line?

But Meta Knight assured both Geoffrey and Sirica that they would free the unwilling denizens of Felldersai soon enough, as soon as Dusk was taken care of, that was.

All the while, during every step of his miserable and humiliating journey, Dusk could see Gerard, smiling at him through the walls, fully capable of helping, yet not doing so. Finally, they reached the small but well fortified cell at the end, the same one that had been used to hold Kirby and Neo.

"Lets see how much you like it, Dusk!" Meta Knight growled, stepping out of the way.

Geoffrey dumped Dusk inside the dimly lit cell, wrapped up the worst of his wounds, (hmph, as though Dusk deserved it) and then closed the heavy door. Before leaving, Sirica turned off the light, leaving Dusk alone and completely in the dark.

"Hmph, I say we just leave him in there, let his die in his own cage." Geoffrey grumbled.

"No, just let him stew for a while." Meta Knight growled, "In his condition, he'll last a day or two in there. Geoffrey... do you think you can repair that transporter back there? We might need it." he added.

"Well, I'll see, buddy. You really did a number on it." Geoffrey sighed, taking off his hat to run his hand through his hair.

"Don't worry, I'll help him out, and keep him out of trouble." Sirica snorted, crossing her arms.

"Good enough." Meta Knight said with a nod.

The old warrior took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. He could feel Kirby weakly shift in his arm and tremble. Just what did Dusk do to them? But that question would have to wait. Right now, Meta Knight just wanted to get his son out of this filthy dungeon.

"Go ahead, Meta Knight. Sirica and I have got this." Geoffrey said, whipping out his lock picks to get to work.

Meta Knight nodded, then turned to leave. Along the way, he cleaved through a few of the cell doors with Galaxia, freeing the prisoners inside while still holding Kirby in his arm. Geoffrey and Sirica got to work with the rest, though it took some coaxing to let the broken Stargazers realize that they were free. But one thing that was for sure; their job wasn't even close to being over... it was only the beginning.

 **IYNMs~ IYNMs~ IYNMs~ IYNMs~ IYNMs~ IYNMs~**

Meta Knight returned to the room where the rest of the group was waiting, exhausted. While explaining what happened and what had become of Dusk at the moment, the old warrior carried Kirby into the small, private bathroom attached to the suite. He helped Tiff clean Kirby up and treat the young warrior to fresh dressings for his injuries. Kautounie, although relieved of Meta Knight's and Kirby's return, didn't get up from her seat by Neo's side.

The room had been cleaned up well enough from the fight, for the most part. At least it was good enough for Meta Knight. Since their sick and injured companions were in no shape to travel, they might as well make themselves at home in here. King Dedede had already claimed a throne for himself, namely the couch by the fireplace. With the fight over, he had already fallen asleep. Perhaps not such a bad thing, he gets into less trouble that way. Nasher, meanwhile, grumbled angrily to himself, his eyes darting to Tiff and Meta Knight every now and again as they treated Kirby's injuries.

"Meta Knight... what did Dusk do to them?" Tiff asked, gently wiping away a few tears that streamed down Kirby's pale cheeks before wrapping him up in the last of his bandages, "I mean, every waking moment Neo has had, she's been in complete terror, like she's trapped in a nightmare she cannot wake from almost."

"I can't say for certain, Tiff, only that somehow Dusk has convinced both Kirby and Neo that we have been the ones holding them captive here in Felldersai." Meta Knight sighed, placing a cool, wet rag across Kirby's forehead to calm his fever, "But if I have too, I'll beat it out of him! That gray demon!"

"Oh... poor Kirby." Tiff sighed, sadly.

She gingerly ran her hand over the soft feathers of Kirby's wings. It was so strange, Tiff never could have imagined that her little pink friend would grow in wings. She couldn't help but think that Meta Knight might have known something about this, but he just wasn't sharing.

"He's still so small." Meta Knight muttered, "Yet his wings have come in already. I'm sorry, my little warrior. I'm sorry none of us were here sooner."

Gently, Meta Knight picked Kirby up and put him to bed next to Neo. He and Tiff both covered him with a soft fur pelt. The young star warrior shivered less and his breathing wasn't as labored, but it was clear that he was in the throws of a bad nightmare. With the entire team close to collapsing, all that could be done now was to make their sick companions as comfortable as possible.

"Neo... she-she's completely lost..." Kautounie said, fighting to keep her own tears from flowing, "She thinks... th-that I-I-I gave her... to the demons."

"Kautounie... we'll find a way to bring them back." Meta Knight said, soothingly.

"We've got to have faith." Tiff added, "In Kirby and Neo. They'll find their way back home."

 **IYNMs~ IYNMs~ IYNMs~ IYNMs~ IYNMs~ IYNMs~**

The first three hours or so were quiet, though hardly restful. Kirby and Neo were still asleep, though they would often moan and whimper in discomfort and curl in on themselves. They would mumble, most of it unintelligible, but a few words that could be made out were 'lies', 'please', 'no', 'stop', and 'why'. It was quite saddening and painful to watch.

Tiff, having had enough of Nasher's thoughtless and smart alack remarks on the situation, grudgingly thanked the lycan for his assistance, then sent him back home, much to his (and her) relief. To be completely honest, Tiff still really wanted nothing to do with him, at least not right now.

Eventually, Geoffrey and Sirica returned, looking quite ragged and run down themselves. Still, once the two of them set their packs and saddlebags against the wall, they reported their findings.

"What? Are you serious?" Tiff questioned, in disbelief.

"Yup. Thankfully, there weren't to many prisoners down in the dungeons, but there were quite a few dead bodies. What's left of the Stargazer pack have made themselves their new den downstairs, though they're still shaken up and tense." Geoffrey reported, "I never expected to see those proud horse masters reduced to this retched state. Apparently, from what I could hear and understand, the Bloodtooths had killed off the old Alpha Pair, leaving their daughter, Roslyn, and her mate, Tyrone, to take over the pack. Shortly after, that's when Dusk grabbed them."

"As for Dusk, he's not going anywhere." Sirica snorted, "I've got those beasts that Kautounie had guarding the horses down there with him, now. Personally, I would have just liked to shoot the bastard, though."

"My kind of girl." Geoffrey muttered.

"No... right now, we need him alive." Meta Knight sighed, "Besides... you've seen what happens to most of the people killed within these walls."

Of course, Meta Knight just has to go and make sense. But, once all the details about the injured and sick Stargazers downstairs were told, Tiff, as a healer herself, knew they would need some help. Since it wouldn't be safe to have her go alone, Geoffrey and Sirica offered to go with her. Meta Knight, with his experience in field patching, decided to go as well, although grudgingly.

"I really do not want to leave my son alone." Meta Knight sighed.

"Don't worry, Kirby and Neo wont be alone. King Dedede and I will watch over them." Kautounie said, running her hand through Neo's faded mane.

Everyone's eyes turned to the portly penguin, who was still snoring away on the couch. Then Kautounie glanced up to the headboard of the bed, where Talon was also fast asleep.

"Well, I'll be watching them, anyway." Kautounie sighed, "Besides, I don't think they'll be waking up for some time."

As the others left the bedroom to head downstairs, Kautounie felt a slight chill from behind her, but not an alarming one. She glanced over her shoulder, smiling when she saw Jecra's form sift into being, levitating in the air. Gently, the ghost ran his hand across Talon's back before drifting to the ground, taking on an appearance more like that of while he lived.

"I'm sorry I couldn't do more for them, your highness." Sir Jecra said at last, bowing.

"You've done more then enough, Sir Jecra. And please... just call me Kautounie."

Well, even if she wouldn't be getting much help from King Dedede or Talon for the time being, at least Sir Jecra was there with her. All was very quiet, save for the occasional snore from King Dedede and mumblings from Kirby and Neo. Anxiously, Kautounie would often tuck the covers more firmly around the cubs and tend to their comfort.

"By the way, Sir Jecra... thank you... for saving my life." Kautounie mentioned, covering both Kirby and Neo with an extra blanket, "Had you not come when you did, Miachang would have claimed my head."

"Hmhm... you're welcome, Kautounie. Any friend of Meta Knight's is a friend of mine!" Sir Jecra stated, smoothly.

About an hour or so later, Meta Knight and the rest of the pack returned; a rather quick stint it was, as the Stargazers preferred to rely upon their own strength to save them rather then the aid of others. However, some help was accepted, if only for the sake of their young.

Meta Knight and Tiff both took a seat next to Kirby's side of the bed, while Geoffrey started heating up their dinner over the fireplace... all the while, helping himself to the contents of Dusk's liquor cabinet, tossing some of the hard stuff Sirica's and Kautounie's way as well.

"Whoa, girl. This stuff isn't meant to be-well, okay, I guess it is." Geoffrey muttered, watching with wide eyes as Sirica nearly drained half the bottle of whiskey in a single gulp.

"Isn't what?" Sirica asked, sitting down and taking a moment to get some rest and close her eyes.

A short while later, Kirby and Neo both began to stir, possibly because of the smell of hot soup heating over the fire reached their noses. Obviously, they had not been eating enough and would need to be fed once they woke up. Meta Knight lightly ran his hand over Kirby's sleeping form, feeling the rapid rate of his son's heartbeat.

"Easy now, my little warrior... easy." he said, softly.

Now all that could be done was to watch and wait for their wounded friends to wake up.

 **Author's Notes::**

This chapter is one of my personal favorites, so I wanted to make sure it was done right. It was an interesting challenge, choreographing the same fight scene from many different Point of Views... and HOLY SHIT! Lesson learned here... do not stare ghosts directly in the eyes! (See? I told you ghosts were nasty!)

Lesson number 2, don't kidnap Sir Meta Knight's apprentice and flaunt it in his face... it's very bad for you're health. Things got pretty gruesome, what with multiple deaths, violent choking, characters getting horrific injuries, blood everywhere, demon beasts being devoured alive by swarms of rats... such a charming atmosphere! But hey, adventures aren't always cupcakes and rainbows.

So, the worst is over, right? Dusk rots in his own cage and our heroes claimed what they came for. What could possibly go wrong from here?

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	45. Deep Wounds Part 2

In You're Nightmares, Deep Wounds part 2

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Use of Booze, an Attempted Stabbing, and Just Deserts.

'Well, we won. Against all odds, we beat Dusk and his undead and Bloodtooth hordes. Now he's the one rotting in his own cage! But, I'm worried. It's only a matter of time before Nightmare realizes that something isn't right. Yes, he knows that the Dragons of Horva are on the prowl and he'll be extra careful as to where he sends his troops, but we're in no shape to travel, or rather, Kirby and Neo are in no shape to travel. I don't know what exactly Dusk did to them, but it's far beyond physical torture. I couldn't believe my eyes; Kirby and Neo in their few waking moments, they were frightened of us.'

The Thoughts of Tiff Ebrum

'When we came to the Badlands, renting out Felldersai Taa was not originally on our list of things to do, but we ended up doing it anyway. Right now Kirby and Neo are both sick, so we've been camping out in what appears to be the warden's room for the time being. There's the entire clan of Stargazer zwetoocks camping out in the lower levels, we've got Dusk locked up tight in the dungeons, and we've got Celestial Beasts patrolling outside where Sirica and I, um, remodeled the fortress walls. *shudder* Damn wights, it's only a matter of time before they decide to burst in. Anyway, all we can really do now is watch and wait, though I've just started fixing up that damaged monster transporter Meta Knight cleaved through. Meanwhile, Jecra, (great guy, even if he is dead, I might add,) has sealed away the malevolent spirits down in the dungeons, including my father. But I still carry a piece of that evil man with me. Urg! The sooner I can send Venomancer back to the boss lady, the better. *sigh* I guess I'm rambling to hide my true feelings right now, but it's not really working. I'm worried about Neo and Kirby. Whatever Dusk did to them, it's scarred them... deep.'

The Thoughts of Geoffrey 'Redsun' Collins

'This victory is the most bitter I've ever had. I faltered not in battle, I even slew a Bloodtooth prince, yet, Neo and Kirby... what has Dusk done to them? It's my fault they're here in the first place. But I must be strong, for my pack, for all of them. Sir Meta Knight's made no attempt to hide his concern this time. I've never seen that old Star Warrior so worried before. After we settled in... as if anyone could ever settle into this place, we've been taking turns watching over Kirby and Neo. The spirit of Sir Jecra has been keeping watch over us as well, flitting about the castle. *sigh* Neo, Kirby, I pray you can hear me. I'm so sorry.'

The Thoughts of Kautounie Redsun

'Things are gettin' weirder around this here Felldersai! Kirby certainly didn't have no wings when he was taken! Meta Knight was sayin' somethin' bout' them being natural, but I ain't buyin' it, not after everythin' I've seen in here. That Customer Service, hmph, even though he's dead he thinks he can rip me off. I really don't like this place, too many ghosts. Even the good ones give me the creeps!"

The Thoughts of King Dedede

'Dedede, you really need to get out more. But, if you and I can agree on one thing, this place is freaky, even without nearly as many demons lurking the halls. I still find a couple hiding in the darkness when I venture out. But it's the voices that are starting to get to me. To think of how many Star Warriors died within these walls by that bastard Nightmare's hand! It enrages me so much! Yet, it reminds me of why I do what I do, why my mother chose the path that she did and why I follow it. I'm not sure what it is, maybe it's just this place and the nerves talking, but I've been having weird dreams as of late... about Meta Knight and my mother... and the great monster that took her life.'

The Thoughts of Sirica

'Be strong, my son. Be strong, Neo. Whatever it is that has been done to you, it shall be mended, somehow. When Kirby saw me, he was afraid of me. Somehow, Dusk and his monsters had convinced Kirby that I had been the one holding him captive. That probably means that Neo thinks the same thing. Kirby, he told me when I rescued him... he was going to say... 'all lies'. Why would he think that? After everything we have been through and done together? Just how much damage Dusk has done, we cannot say, not until they wake up, which looks like it could be any minute now. They've both lost a lot of weight, and a lot of blood, probably haven't even seen sunlight since their imprisonment here. It may not seem like it was that long of a stay, but even a day can seem like an eternity in this wretched prison. But... in all of this... I-I can't believe it... Kirby's wings, they've grown in already. They're beautiful... unlike mine... which are nothing more then a painful reminder... of what I-no! I will not say it, not even think it!'

The Thoughts of Sir Meta Knight

*Felldersai Taa, Dusk's Chambers Kirby's and Neo's Improvised Recovery Room*

At first, it was never ending darkness. Then the voices started up, with Nightmare's cruel laugh in the background, mocking them, taunting them, showing them what he planned to do with them. So much blood, so much pain. But then there was something else, something that didn't belong... it smelled very good.

Suddenly, with a start, Neo and Kirby opened their eyes. The two of them were breathing heavily, taking a moment to take in their surroundings. They weren't in the dungeons anymore, but they were still in Felldersai Taa, that much was certain. When Kirby tried to sit up, he found himself immobilized by the fierce pain shooting throughout every wound that covered his body. It was then did he see that both his and Neo's injuries had been treated and dressed. With a soft whine, Neo looked over to see the little pink puffball laying beside her. But despite resting in a soft bed, tucked under many warm fur pelts and blankets, and the sight of hot food being prepared over the fire, neither Kirby or Neo took any comfort in it, not when they saw who they were sharing their new quarters with.

"Hey look, they're awake." Tiff noticed, smiling gently as she leaned over in her seat.

When she reached to adjust the cool, wet rag across Kirby's forehead, the little warrior shrank back, gazing up at her fearfully. Even now, Kirby could hear her voice. He remembered everything, everything Tiff had said to him while he was locked away in this hellhole. The smaller warrior only stopped once the pain became too much and he couldn't move. His wings would flit and twitch occasionally, especially when he was touched. Tiff pulled her hand back, startled by the touch of Kirby's feathers.

"Kirby, my son, it's alright now." Meta Knight said, gently, "You're kidnapper has been dealt with. Right now, you and Neo both need to rest and heal."

"Daddy... why?" Kirby asked, weakly, "Why did you hurt them? Hurt Kaabii?"

When Meta Knight shifted his position, he heard a low, weak growl. Then his golden eyes met up with Neo's. Neo, too weak to even lift up her head, flattened her ears against her skull and growled in warning, "You... you... lied to him... to me... all of you did. I saw... you... Meta Knight... you tortured them."

"Neo, dear sister... you're in shock." Kautounie breathed, softly while she stroked her little sister's mane, "You and Kirby have been held captive for about a week and a half. Both of you are very sick right now."

"Kautounie... you... never... answered me. Why, sister? Why... did... you... give... me to... the demons?" Neo rasped, weakly turning her head as far as she could to face her sister.

"I-I-I never-" Kautounie stammered, on the verge of tears.

Meta Knight and Kautounie glanced to each other, then to the other members of their group. They wanted to know just how much damage had been done, now they knew. Any time any of them got to close, Neo and Kirby would both shy away, as far as they could, anyway. Tears streamed down their pain stricken faces as Kirby and Neo looked up to their companions. Sadly and cautiously, Tiff, Kautounie, and Meta Knight backed away from the bedside.

"Ummm, why would they think you were the ones doing this to them?" Sirica asked, cautiously as Neo's eyes fell on her.

"Honestly, I have no clue." Geoffrey admitted, "I may not be a doctor or healer, but if I had to take a guess, I'd say they've been under some sort of brainwashing or under the influence of a powerful drug."

"This... this is horrible... sickening. We didn't do any of the things they are describing." Tiff said, looking back to where Kirby lay, shivering with fright.

Right now, they could only speculate. Though Geoffrey did bring up that he saw a lab down in the dungeons. Perhaps some tests were in order. And if anything else, they could always beat any answers out of Dusk, something Meta Knight looked ready to do right that very minute.

"To see if it's drugs, I'll need some blood from both of them." Kautounie whispered, "I'm sure Tiff and I could find what we need in that lab and we've got Neo's medical kit amongst our supplies. She always keeps a few hypodermics on hand, just in case."

"Good luck. They freak out if you just walk to close. If any of us get to close." Geoffrey muttered, "I wouldn't want to take a sharp object anywhere near them! Who knows what will happen. Anything we do could drive them over the edge."

"It may be a risk we'll have to take. They cannot be left alone in their condition." Meta Knight sighed, his amber eyes dulling for a minute.

In the meantime, King Dedede slid off the couch he had been napping on with a grumble, having been woken up by his companions. He rubbed the side of his head as he looked at Kirby and Neo, then to the others.

"Just what the heck is goin' on?" King Dedede grumbled, "Dinner had better be ready if ya'll is makin' this much noise."

"Dedede, Kirby and Neo think that we've been holding them here for some reason." Tiff explained.

"We think Dusk might have drugged or brainwashed them." Geoffrey added, "Torture can make you see a lot of crazy things, and those poor kids have been tortured pretty badly, physically and mentally."

"Hmph, I'll see about that." King Dedede grunted as he approached Kirby's bedside.

"Wait-don't-!" Tiff started.

Much to her surprise, and that of everyone else, Kirby nor Neo didn't yelp and shy away from Dreamland's former king. Kirby moaned softly, reaching out with his nubby pink hand. Curious, Sirica stepped forward as well. Naturally, Kirby and Neo were still quite scared, but they had quieted down, if only a little.

"Come on, Kirby. I know you, and I know you love bein' around Tiff, Meta Knight, and them gun nuts!" King Dedede huffed, crossing his arms, "I was with them this whole time and there ain't no way they could have been in two places at once to do them things you two was sayin'!"

Kirby trembled and shook his head. As soon as Meta Knight took a step closer, reaching for something under his cape, Kirby flinched, grabbing a handful of King Dedede's robes as he did. The poor thing's heart rate began to increase as Meta Knight's voice filled his head. Again, words of misery and torment flooded Kirby's thoughts. He closed his eyes, knowing that for sure he was in for a beating. While the king awkwardly tried to pry the terrified child off of his clothes, Meta Knight opened up the flask he had taken out.

"Cub... did... did they take you too?" Neo asked, her eyes darting from Sirica to Meta Knight as the old warrior slowly walked closer, "Please, cub... help us... they...they..." she couldn't finish, as the young zwetoock began to choke on her tears.

"I'm Sirica. Neo... they haven't done anything to hurt you." Sirica tried to explain, as gently as she could manage, "They haven't taken me, if anything, they saved my life. Your bird, Talon. She found me, and led me to Meta Knight and your friends."

"Talon? Dear Gods, what... what have they... done to her?" Neo yelped.

Sirica calmly pointed up, to where Talon was perched on the headboard, looking down at her sorceress. The owl let out a soft screech, tilting her head. There was no mistaking the sadness and pain in her golden eyes.

"My Neo... it was those nasty Bloodtooths that did this to you and the tasty pink one." Talon hooted, "Don't you remember? You sent me to find your Sir Meta Knight and big sister and brother."

Neo shook her head. Her memory was so clouded, filled only with pain and torment. She knew this couldn't be happening. All they were doing was healing them up before tearing into them again. She had heard them say it, all but King Dedede and Sirica say it. All the while, Geoffrey and the others watched, quietly. At least if Kirby and Neo trusted Sirica and Dedede enough to go near them, they might be able to get some insights on Kirby's and Neo's condition without stressing them out anymore then they already were.

"Please... don't... let them do to you, Sirica, ... what... has been done to Kirby... and my...myself." Neo panted with a whimper before closing her eyes, "Talon... fly."

Talon let out a soft call, shifting her feet as she did. She couldn't believe it. Her Neo had gone completely insane. Her Neo had forgotten everything. And Talon knew, that should this continue, she too would start to slip away as well.

"Po...poyo, Medi... Kni. Kaabi... sorry." Kirby stammered, pressing himself as far into his pillows as he could, right up until the pain became too much, "Daddy... please."

Meta Knight lightly leaped up on Kirby's bedside, sitting down next to him. Gently, he pressed the flask he had opened against his adopted son's lips, pouring a sweet tasting liquid into Kirby's mouth. Suddenly realizing how thirsty he was, Kirby didn't resist, instead he tilted the flask back further, drinking his fill. As he drank, the small warrior found that his injuries stung and burned less and less. Meta Knight... he was giving him pep brew.

"There we go. That feels better, doesn't it, my little warrior?" Meta Knight asked with a sigh, carefully prying his flask out of Kirby's hands.

Kirby didn't answer, though for the time being, he calmed down. Shortly, Neo was given the same treatment. As soon as the sweet healing brew reached her tongue, she didn't want to stop drinking. Although the two of them settled down, if only a little, they would often send pleading glances to King Dedede or Sirica for help. Eventually, Kirby and Neo slipped away into a fitful doze.

"Tiff... let them rest." Meta Knight instructed, before the worried girl could fuss over their sick companions.

"Hey guys, dinner's ready." Geoffrey announced, while still keeping his voice level.

"Good, I'm starving!" King Dedede grumbled.

Soup and bread. Perhaps not exactly the meal of kings, but after a week and a half of living off cold trail rations without so much as a spark of flame to keep warm, Geoffrey's cooking was tasting very good right now... not as if he was a bad cook or anything. (Actually, he was quite good.) However, to accompany their meal, there was a wide selection of expensive wines and exotic spirits, curtsey of that bastard, Dusk. And for Talon, well, a few dead rats in the hall would be enough to satisfy Neo's distraught familiar. (They just wouldn't let Nasher know about it.) Meta Knight though, had distanced himself from the group, preferring to eat alone.

"I never pegged you for a cook, Geoffrey." Sirica admitted.

"Sweetheart... you'll find I'm full of surprises." Geoffrey mentioned, taking a glance back to the bed where Neo and Kirby resided.

About half way through dinner, Kirby and Neo woke up again. This time, their empty stomachs churned and groaned, sending sharp pains throughout their bodies. They had not eaten a proper meal since their imprisonment. Frightened beyond reason or not, Kirby and Neo were both starving.

"I think they could use a good meal." Geoffrey suggested, bringing a bowl filled with the hot broth to Neo's bedside.

At first, Kautounie was insistent that she be the one to take care of Neo, up until Geoffrey reminded her yet again that Neo was his sister too and that Kautounie had been running herself ragged and was in need of a break. She obliged her brother, sitting down and licking the last few drops of broth from her bowl before breaking into the bottle of vodka at her side. Tiff took a seat next to Kirby, holding a bowl of soup for him in her hands. Meta Knight, having finished his meal already, hopped up on Kirby's bedside, wrapping his cape around his body.

Kirby shivered as Meta Knight's golden eyes met with his. The smaller warrior's vision began to blur and he could hear his father's voice in the back of his head, speaking to him in a threatening manner, _"You will eat now, and you will heal, so I can train you properly, little one! You're weak! And I cannot accept weakness!"_

Naturally, Meta Knight was a little confused when out of no where, Kirby let out a sadly spoken 'poyo' and nodded his head towards him.

"Here you go, Kirby, I'm sure this will make you feel better." Tiff said, pouring a spoonful of the warm soup into Kirby's mouth.

It tasted very good, and the warm broth was soothing against his throat. Already, Kirby could feel some strength returning. Soon enough, both Kirby and Neo were eating quite heartily. While they ate, the two of them would sometimes fall into a doze for about a minute or two, which was somewhat disconcerting, especially when their eyes would reopen and be very unfocused.

"Easy there, Neo. There's plenty left, I'm not taking it away from you." Geoffrey muttered, watching as his little sister practically inhaled her food... kind of like someone else he knew.

Finally, it felt like they were making progress with their wounded and traumatized companions. They were the ones trying to nurse Kirby and Neo back to health, not torment them. Although plans had been made to run some tests down in the lab once dinner was over. But little did they now just what was going through Neo's and Kirby's minds. Neo suddenly flinched with a whine, gazing up at Geoffrey with saddened eyes. She lowered her gaze as she was given another spoonful of soup.

 _"_ _Yes, little sis, that's right. You'll need your strength restored for when Kirby screws up again. Which we both know is bound to happen. And you know what happens, right?"_ she could hear Geoffrey hiss in the back of her mind.

"Yes... I know, Geoffrey." Neo whimpered.

"Ummm... I don't see why you'd be upset, you seem pretty hungry to me." Geoffrey said, slightly confused.

Once Kirby and Neo had finished their meals, they closed their eyes, falling into a rather fitful and unrestful sleep. As the two young ones twitched and squirmed in their sleep, Tiff took notice of some blood seeping out of their bandages. With a nod, Meta Knight left to get the medical kit while Tiff used some of her remaining stamina to use a healing spell on Kirby and Neo. It didn't do much, but it calmed them down, physically, anyway. Mentally was another story altogether.

"What is wrong with my Neo and the tasty pink one?" Talon asked, worriedly, "She... she's taking me with her. I...I don't know how much longer I'll be myself!"

"I don't know, but we're going to find out, Talon." Kautounie answered, setting down her vodka bottle once Meta Knight returned with the medical supplies.

Gingerly, Kautounie began to work on undoing Neo's old dressings while Tiff and Meta Knight started on Kirby's. Tiff carefully rolled Kirby onto his stomach, taking care to keep him cushioned on the blankets and furs. The wounds were looking a tad better, though Meta Knight still had great concerns about the flogging lashes on Kirby's back and where they were in conjuncture with his wings. Even the slightest bit of permanent damage to the muscles could keep the small pink warrior grounded. At the sight of the injuries, King Dedede looked like he was ready to see his dinner all over again.

"T-that-that's nasty right there." King Dedede commented.

"This is what Holy Nightmare's monsters do!" Sirica snorted, "It's an all to familiar sight."

"It's alright, my son." Meta Knight said, soothingly, stretching Kirby's feathered wing out of Tiff's way as she cleaned the wounds.

Suddenly, there was a sharp yelp from Neo as she jerked awake, snapping her jaws as she did, nearly biting Geoffrey's hand. Thankfully, the rogue's quick reflexes saved him from becoming Neo's second course. But the sudden movement sent searing pain shooting throughout Neo's already aching body and caused her to bleed again.

"Keep her down." Tiff instructed.

"Don't you think we're trying?" Kautounie asked in a harsh whisper.

While staunching the bleeding, Kautounie did collect a sample of Neo's blood for testing, saving the need for any needles or other sharp objects.

However, something painful and scarring with stirring deep within Kirby's mind. Already, Tiff could feel his heartbeat quicken and see his eyes squeeze shut. Soon enough, Kirby was covered in cold sweat.

"Poyo... daddy... please, no. Poyo... lied to Kaabbi..." Kirby moaned.

"Meta Knight, I think he's having another nightmare." Tiff mentioned, fastening the last bit of gauze around Kirby's wound.

Meta Knight usually didn't like to wake up his apprentice when he was having a nightmare. Most of the time, he let Kirby tough it out. But this situation was different. Something was convincing Kirby that he, Meta Knight, and even Tiff, had been torturing him. And these constant nightmares probably had something to do with it.

"Kirby... snap out of it. Wake up. You're safe among friends." Meta Knight called, firmly but gently, rolling Kirby onto his back.

"Poyo...no!" Kirby moaned again.

The voices! They wouldn't stop! Forever mocking him for being so naïve and trusting. He was trapped. Awake or asleep, it made no difference. Either way he was trapped in a nightmare.

Suddenly, Kirby's eyes opened as Neo yelped again. With his vision wavering and swimming, he could make out two forms bent over her. They were hurting her! Then his eyes fell on Tiff and Meta Knight who were both leaning over him. For a second, Kirby nearly choked on his own frightened sobs, but then, he took action... he had to. For his own protection and for Neo's.

Without warning, Kirby sat up, screaming as pain lanced through his entire body. Fatherly instincts taking over, Meta Knight reached out to grab his son and push him back down into bed so he wouldn't hurt himself further. Kirby panicked, his eyes landing on Galaxia's golden hilt. It was within reach.

"Meta Knight, watch-!" Sirica shouted in warning.

To late. With his heart pounding, Kirby took the sacred sword right out of Meta Knight's scabbard, causing Geoffrey and Tiff to leap back in surprise. When Meta Knight and Kautounie tried to stop the pink puffball from awkwardly swinging the spiked blade, both of them suffered a mild hit, drawing blood.

"Kirby!" Meta Knight shouted, his eyes flashing a mix of green and red as he held the fresh cut on his arm with a grunt.

This only frightened Kirby more, as he attempted to get out of bed, awkwardly flapping his wings for stability. When Neo tried to get up herself, Geoffrey, having regained his composure from the shock, held her down, nearly getting his hand bitten again in the process.

"Easy, little sis!" Geoffrey shouted.

"Kirby, no! You're to weak, you can't even stand." Tiff screamed.

Unsure what to do, King Dedede approached Neo to help Geoffrey hold her still while Sirica decided to jump right in with Kirby and Meta Knight. She helped Meta Knight wrestle Galaxia out of Kirby's hands, right before he had tried to run his mentor through with it a second time, all the while screaming his name. Once Galaxia was back in her scabbard, both Tiff and Sirica held Kirby down. King Dedede on the other hand, only needed one hand to keep Neo still, thus taking a huge burden off of Geoffrey.

"Thanks again, big guy." Geoffrey panted, looking to the fresh nip wounds he had received.

Boy, when Neo did bite, she bit hard! Even he never expected that from a usually placid and gentle healer. Kautounie, seeing that Kirby was restrained, returned to her little sister's side.

"Don't mention it!" King Dedede grunted to Geoffrey after a long pause, "Damn, just what has gotten into these two?!"

"Please... you're... not... one of them... help us... please." Neo pleaded.

Kirby trembled in abject terror when he looked up to his mentor and father. His dulled blue eyes looked directly into Meta Knight's golden ones and filled with tears. He knew what he had done, now he and Neo would both pay for it, all the while, he could faintly hear Nightmare's laugh in the back of his head.

"Daddy...K-Kaabi... is sorry..." Kirby sobbed.

"Kirby, little one, I-" Meta Knight started.

Before Kirby and Neo could struggle again, a soft, ethereal blue glow surrounded them. The two delirious young ones quieted down and fell asleep, much to the relief of their distraught companions. Meta Knight's golden eyes dulled for a moment as he took in a deep breath. A slight chill filled the air as Sir Jecra took form, one hand placed of Kirby, the other, on Neo.

"So, what did I miss?" Sir Jecra sighed.

"Even I am not entirely sure, my friend." Meta Knight answered, trying his best to keep his tone even and tempered but it was obvious that he was fuming on the inside.

Growing more and more agitated, Talon shifted her position, flapping her wings and screeching. This was not Neo. Not her Neo.

Finally, Sirica and Tiff were able to let go of Kirby, though naturally Tiff became quite upset when she saw that Kirby's wounds had reopened yet again. In his sleep, Kirby continued to sob, tears streaming down his face. Neo whimpered fearfully, flinching at every sound.

Kautounie closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, but it wasn't enough to calm her down. A low, rumbling growl escaped her throat as she and Meta Knight both glanced to the open door of the room.

"Meta Knight... I'm sorry. I-I should have done more for them." Sir Jecra sighed.

"No my friend, this isn't your fault." Meta Knight growled, "Tiff, if you please, rebind Kirby's and Neo's injuries. Your majesty, Sirica, they seem to trust you, so please stay with them. Geoffrey, Kautounie... come with me to the dungeons!" he finished, his eyes flashing red as he wrapped his cape around himself.

At first, King Dedede was going to complain about his own knight requesting HIM to do something, but the look in Meta Knight's eyes was telling him that maybe he should just do as he says.

"Oh alright fine! But only because I don't wanna go down to no filthy, slimy dungeons!" King Dedede proclaimed.

Sirica just rolled her eyes. Even if she was hardly a healer, for whatever reason, Neo nor Kirby saw her as a threat, so she decided to stay and assist Tiff, even though she would have just loved to give Dusk another piece of her mind or perhaps a bullet to the head.

Without question, Kautounie and Geoffrey got to their feet and followed after Meta Knight.

"Jecra... I thank you my friend." Meta Knight sighed before disappearing around the corner, flanked by the two Redsuns.

"Just don't loose yourself, buddy." Jecra sighed, looking down to Neo and Kirby as they slept, restlessly.

Sirica sighed heavily, lightly running her hand over Kirby's overly warm forehead. She backed away when he flinched and rustled his wings under her touch.

"So... what do we do, exactly?" Sirica asked, a little nervous.

"Here, I'll show you." Tiff said, removing the furs and blankets covering Kirby.

"I can't watch this again!" King Dedede moaned, covering his eyes.

*Dusk's Cell*

In the darkness of his cage, Dusk struggled against his bonds, uselessly. Meta Knight certainly was not fooling around. The shackles were so tight they cut into Dusk's wrists. A groan escaped through the gag in his mouth as he went limp. Pain throbbed in his wing where Sirica had shot him and every where else he had been sliced and stabbed during battle. The slapped on bandage around his arm had done nothing to dull the pain. But the worst part was the chill he felt all around him, not just that of the normal cold, dank cell, rather the sort of cold that give hint to an undead close at hand.

"Well, well, well, lookie here!" Gerard mocked, his form hidden by the darkness, "Thanks to that jackass, Jecra, looks like you and I are gonna be roommates for a while."

Dusk growled in annoyance, but he couldn't do much more then that with his mouth gagged. This of course, only made Gerard laugh. There was an underlying sound... chains maybe, if Dusk had to guess.

"I'll admit, you were doing pretty good up until the point you told me to fuck off. You should have given me back my old knife." Gerard sighed, "Any second now, they'll be down here. Wont be long before you become a ghost like me."

Suddenly, the dim light bulb hanging from the ceiling was switched on, leaving Dusk to close and squint his eyes, moaning in pain. The last thing he heard was Gerard's laugh as the spirit faded before the door was flung open.

Dusk could only helplessly look up to Meta Knight, Kautounie, and Geoffrey from the floor. He had no idea how long he had been left in here, but it was enough to drive him to the brink of insanity. The bounty hunter cowered in fear as Meta Knight loomed over him, drawing his sword. Kautounie came up from behind him, removing his gag and giving him a mouthful of water from a flask, as though he really deserved it. Dusk rasped heavily after drinking as much of the water as he could, instinctively folding his wings tightly along his back.

"So... you were going to torture me, then kill me." Dusk panted, choking a little on the water.

"No, we've barely begun." Geoffrey growled, taking Venomancer out of his coat.

Kautounie growled deeply, raising her paw, claws out and ready to start rending flesh, up until Meta Knight stopped her before she started. Calmly, the elder blue warrior approached, using the tip of Galaxia to force Dusk to look up at him. An unsettling smile formed along Dusk's face.

"What's the matter? Is sweet little Kirby having daddy issues?" Dusk asked.

"Shut up!" Meta Knight snarled, "My apprentice, my friend, my son... is terrified of me! Of all of us! And it's because of something you and those Bloodtooth demons have done to him!"

"And my sister! Every time I go near her... she... she..." Kautounie stammered.

"Neo's already bitten me in self defense and I'll let Meta Knight fill you in on what Kirby tried to do. I suggest you start talking, you fucking bastard!" Geoffrey warned, "Or we'll give Kautounie three minutes alone with you!"

"My own son... is so in fear for his life... he tried to kill me with Galaxia! He took her right out of my scabbard and tried to run me through he was so sure that I was going to hurt him and Neo! Now... what have you done to them?!" Meta Knight growled, flicking the sword tip to the side, drawing some blood.

Dusk remained silent for a few moments, watching as the anger simmered all around him. He smiled again, swallowing the blood that had dripped into his mouth. Cold sweat formed all over his body, causing him to shiver.

"Since you've been gracious enough to let me keep my life, I guess I could tell you, considering there's nothing any of you can do about it!" Dusk snorted, "The late Miachang Bloodtooth made a special medicine, just for the two little cubs. A little thing called the Waking Nightmare."

Kautounie and Geoffrey both froze upon hearing that, something Dusk was quick to take notice of.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH, YOU DIDN'T!" Kautounie howled, grabbing Dusk by his injured wing and turning him around to face her.

"Hahahahahhaaaaa... you know what it is I speak of, then?" Dusk asked, wincing from the pain as Kautounie tightened her grip on his injured wing, "Thanks to careful... dosing, the poison will not expel from their systems. They're trapped in an endless nightmare they'll never wake from and there's no known cure! Oh... oh wait a minute... there might have been a cure... but your Sir Jecra KILLED the one person who could mix it up! You should have kept a better eye on your pets! All of them!"

Geoffrey tensed, preparing to pounce at any moment and just run Dusk through with the poisoned knife he held in his hands. He knew it was bad, even a little evil of him, but Geoffrey wanted Dusk to suffer horrendously for what he had done to both his little sister and Kirby. The rogue had told himself not to make it clean and easy, yet something was still holding him back.

"Go ahead, I'm as good as dead!" Dusk dared, looking up from where Kautounie and Meta Knight held him.

"No... I wont become my father." Geoffrey growled, "Meta Knight's right. Death is too good for you."

Meta Knight's eyes flashed green as he thought for a moment. He too wanted to take Dusk's life, but it would hardly be the honorable thing to do. But there was nothing telling him that he had to protect Dusk's life either. Hardly! An idea formed in the back of the old warrior's mind. It was cruel, but it was no less then Dusk deserved.

"Geoffrey, is that Monster Transporter repaired?" Meta Knight questioned, his voice at a rather frightening calm.

"Yeah... okay, there's still a few tweaks to be made, but for the most part... yeah." Geoffrey answered.

Kautounie didn't say anything, but as she put the pieces together, a smile crossed the zwetoock's face. Oh yes, Dusk had no idea just what he was in for... if she and the good Sir Meta Knight were on the same page.

"Oh what are you going to do? Give me to the G.S.A.?" Dusk snorted, "You and I both know that the Star is a dying breed and few and far between."

"No!" Meta Knight snarled, "The G.S.A. would be far kinder to you then you deserve!" Meta Knight growled.

"Who next? The Redsuns?" Dusk inquired.

"No... they would kill you too quickly." Meta Knight answered, "For you Dusk... I know someone who would really like to get to know you better! Kautounie, Geoffrey, if you please."

Dusk didn't even have any time to say anything more before the gag was stuffed back in his mouth. Without another word, Meta Knight butted the hilt of his sword into the bounty hunter's head, knocking him out cold. Kautounie made sure his bindings were still secure, then much to her surprise, Meta Knight grabbed the chain connecting Dusk's shackles together to drag him away.

"Meta Knight, are you thinking what I... think you're thinking?" Kautounie asked, quirking her eye ridge.

"Hmhmhmmmm, you are most intuitive, my princess." Meta Knight growled.

As they turned to leave the cell, the sound of laughing behind them caused the three of them to stop. Geoffrey glanced over his shoulder, narrowing his gaze as his eyes landed on his father's spirit. The assassin's spectral form was bound by ethereal chains locked around his wrists, tethering him to the far wall of the cell.

"Off so soon? And here Dusk and I were bonding together so well." Gerard mocked, right before his soulless eyes landed on Venomancer, which Geoffrey still had clenched in his hand, "Ah, my boy is finally taking after me. I'm proud, son."

Kautounie growled audibly, her fur bristling. Meta Knight felt his heart flutter as his eyes flashed red. With a sigh and a look of determination, Geoffrey broke away from Meta Knight and his sister to face his deranged father's ghost. He raised Venomancer to Gerard's chest, resting the tip of the venomous knife on the wound already festering. Gerard just smiled.

"Come now, boy. You know I can't die again." Gerard hissed.

"Nope. I may not be able to kill you." Geoffrey began, "But I know you can feel pain. So while you rot in this hellhole, I want you to feel the pain and suffering of every innocent being... every Star Warrior... you ever murdered with this accursed knife!"

Gerard screamed in agony as Geoffrey plunged Venomancer into his chest. The ghost's gray phantasm began to turn black, starting from where Venomancer had pierced him. There was no escape from the pain, there was no death, for Gerard already was dead. Only immeasurable suffering.

"By the way, I'm not your son. I shed the serpent's skin when I became a Dragon of the Redsun. My real father is Alpha Rhego of the Redsun Pack... asshole!" Geoffrey snorted before leaving the cell with Meta Knight and Kautounie.

Without any regret, Geoffrey slammed the cell door shut, muffling his father's agonized screams. Meta Knight said nothing, but nodded once before leading the way back to the transporter room, dragging Dusk behind him. As they passed by the cells, many of them had a strange, eerie glow surrounding them, more then likely Sir Jecra's handy work. From inside one of the cages, Alpha Balor and Customer Service both shot the small group filthy looks.

"Are you sure about this, buddy?" Geoffrey asked once they reached the transporter room and stepped inside.

"I've never been more sure!" Meta Knight snarled, tossing Dusk's limp body onto the Monster Transporter pad.

Geoffrey was about to start making minor repairs to a few wires, though a quick Mending spell from Kautounie quickened the process somewhat. Next, the rogue took a small device out of his coat and plugged it into the machine before giving Meta Knight the thumbs up. He stepped out of the way to let the older warrior take over, though not before taking one last look at Venomancer. As Meta Knight began pressing switches and buttons, Geoffrey placed the black bladed dagger next to Dusk's limp form before joining his sister. Once the coordinates were set, the machine roared to life, though there were still a few unsettling sparks and discharges. In a flash of light, Dusk and Venomancer were gone. Would he still be whole when he got to his destination? Do you care?

"May Sundar have mercy upon his withered soul." Kautounie growled.

"I doubt he will get to meet Sundar for a long while yet." Meta Knight said, turning around to leave with a flourish.

*Back Upstairs*

Their work done, Meta Knight, Geoffrey, and Kautounie returned to their camp site/recovery room, carefully making their way past the Stargazer den that had been formed downstairs. (Those guys were still on the fence about their situation, best not to tick them off.) Besides, right now, Meta Knight just wanted to be by his son's side.

King Dedede was resting on the couch, doing his best to sooth a very agitated Talon while Sirica and Tiff finished patching Neo and Kirby up before covering them with their blankets and pelts. Sir Jecra was still with the others as well, sitting beside Neo. Both Kirby and Neo were still asleep, though the same sort of ethereal bonds that had been placed around Gerard and the other ghosts had also been used to restrain them.

"I'm sorry, Meta Knight." Jecra sighed, "I don't like it any more then you do."

Meta Knight, Kautounie, and Geoffrey nodded in understanding. None of them liked having to restrain Kirby and Neo. The poor things had suffered enough. But they couldn't risk another attack again, not while they were trapped in their own morbid dreams.

"Sir Meta Knight?" Sirica asked.

"We know what the problem is, we need only find a solution." Meta Knight said, simply.

"What... what happened to Dusk?" Tiff inquired, "What did you do to him?"

Meta Knight glanced to Kautounie, then to Geoffrey. All three nodded at once.

*Undisclosed Location*

He didn't know how much time had passed, only that his head was aching from where Meta Knight had slammed Galaxia's hilt into his head. Groggily, Dusk opened his eyes. For a few minutes, his vision was blurry and not much could be made out. The Gray Demon was lying on the flat of his back on a hard, steel surface. A table, possibly. He could hear things; bubbling, churning, the hum of computers, grunts and roars in the distance; like they were coming from a different room somewhere within... wherever he was, and... rhythmic beeping, like a heart monitor. It was then did Dusk realize that it was a heart monitor. In fact, as his vision returned, he found he had all sorts of wires and tubes connected to him. Not to mention, someone had stitched up and cleaned his wounds.

When he tried to sit up, he found he couldn't, not with the thick leather straps and shackles secured around his wrists, ankles, and even his wings. At least the gag had been removed from his mouth. Dusk looked around at his new surroundings; he was in a lab of some sort, one that made the lab back in Felldersai Taa look absolutely friendly. An eerie green glow provided the bulk of the light, and it came from a lantern suspended on a chain from the ceiling, dangling over the table he lay bound to. All around were books, papers, computers, and some stuff that Dusk rather not guess about, scattered in disarray.

His heart began to beat a little faster, even more so once a waddle dee in a green lab coat hopped up on the table next to him and attached another wire into his arm, causing Dusk to wince. It was then he remembered hearing Meta Knight ask Geoffrey about the Monster Transporter. But just where would Meta Knight want to send him if not to the Galaxy Soldiers or the Redsuns?

"Bugger off, you stupid little shit." Dusk mumbled at the waddle dee, struggling against his bonds, uselessly, I might add.

The waddle dee just blinked, then finished his work before jumping off the table.

"Not much fun when you're on the other end of the chains, is it?" asked a familiar, childish voice, "By the way, that wasn't nice what you just did to Darrel. He's just doing his job, you know."

Dusk smirked, watching as Garna slid from the shadows, flanked by two other forms. One, her wolfwrath, Roaren. The other, King Dedede's adviser and part-time punching bag, Escargoon. Very quickly, the bounty hunter's cocky smile dropped when Roaren leaped up onto the table, his claws clicking on the steel. Dusk closed his eyes and turned his head away as he felt Roaren's hot breath against him. Those exceptionally dangerous fangs were just an inch or less from his face.

"You shot my friend, Dusk. Then you shot me!" Roaren snapped at Dusk with a growl.

Snarling, Roaren jumped off the table, rejoining his mistress. Now, it was Garna's turn. She climbed up onto Roaren's back to get a slight boost, then took a seat on the table next to the prisoner. In her hand, she held the black bladed Venomancer. The insane halfling assassin trailed the tip of the blade along Dusk's exposed belly, stopping where the black scar from the previous wound was.

"Garna... Garna Riverdale... what-what are you-?!" Dusk stammered.

"You know Dusk, it's bad enough that you took away my home, burned down Thea'or and half the Great Red Forest, murdered many of my friends, and kidnapped Kirby and Neo... also my friends... but you know, through it all I realized something." Garna sighed, followed up with a cackle.

"Oh no, here she goes again." Escargoon muttered, wincing a little, "This girl is the definition of insane!"

"Heheh... thank you, Escargoon, you flatter me." Garna purred, fixing her fierce green eyes on Dusk, "But where was I? Oh yes, through I all, I realized just how much I loved that painting of Sir Arthur. And now I don't have that painting anymore, Dusk. Nope, not even the frame it was in." she added with an insane laugh.

She delighted in watching Dusk writhe and squirm with discomfort. Indeed, it wasn't much fun being on the other end of the chains.

"So what are you going to do? Torture me?" Dusk inquired, "Oh Garna... Dr. Escargoon... that hardly seems like anything you would ever do."

Now Garna smiled even wider, cackling all the same just to match. The insane thief muttered to herself with glee, taking Venomancer back and putting it in it's sheath by her side.

"Oh no Dusk, I'm not going to torture you." Garna said as she leaned over the puffball, close enough to lick the blood off his wounds.

"That's... good to know." Dusk sighed, though there was no mistaking the frightened undertone in his voice.

More so, his heart rate steadily increased.

"He is." Garna said at last, pointing to the lab's main doorway.

Now Dusk felt felt his heart pound and cold sweat covered his body as he looked upon the large, draconian form that just entered the laboratory. He only knew this creature by reputation, but that was enough. So many thoughts and questions started to flood his panicked mind, but the one that kept on reoccurring the most was _'How the hell did this guy and Meta Knight ever get together?!'_ Then of course there was Garna and Escargoon who were with him.

"T-that... that's... D-Dr. K-k-Knarks..." Dusk rasped, dryly.

"Oh good, you do know of Ol' Knarksy, then! Saves time on introductions!"

Garna laughed, watching as Dusk helplessly bucked against his bonds. She, Roaren, and Escargoon circled around while Dr. Knarks approached. The mad doctor's waddle dees, Larry, Darrel, and Darrel had already prepped a tray full of sharp, dangerous, not to mention rusty surgeons' tools.

"Good evening. Is the patient ready for surgery?" Dr. Knarks hissed, calmly.

"Payback's a bitch, ain't it, Dusk?!" Garna snapped, "He's all yours, doc. Escargoon and I will be in the associate lounge if you need us." she added.

"N-no... no... NOOOO... please, Garna! Roaren! Escargoon. PLEASE! Be reasonable, have mercy!" Dusk pleaded.

He could only watch as Garna and Escargoon left, each one taking one last look over their shoulders. Neither of them wanted to stick around to watch what was about to unfold. It was going to get quite messy in there. Now Dusk was alone, alone with one of the most notorious masters of torture there was in the known universe.

"Ah, a fine specimen you are, if I do say so myself." Dr. Knarks hissed, slowly making his first selection of the sharp, bloodstained tools before finally picking one up, "I've always wanted to have one of your kind on my table. Ever since that fateful night years ago..."

"Take it from me boss, this one here is a bitch!" Nasher snipped as he crawled onto Dr. Knarks' shoulder.

Dusk only had a second to realize it; but it couldn't have been right! That was the very same wererat that had assisted Meta Knight and his raiding party. But how would they possibly be linked together? Suddenly, Dusk was finding that question to be less and less appealing as his impending torment crept closer.

"Hey, bitch! Recognize me?" Nasher squeaked, "Come on, boss, bring on the pain!"

"Please doctor, please... you don't have to do this!" Dusk shouted, "YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS!"

Dr. Knarks remained disturbingly silent as he listened to the pace of his captive's quickened breathing, savoring the sound. Dusk trembled violently as the sharp blade Dr. Knarks held was placed against his stomach. He had heard all the stories, about how this mad doctor preformed autopsies while his patients were still alive, and that he would keep them alive... and that was only the start of such horror stories. If only Meta Knight had made it quick and easy with a single stroke of Galaxia. That old warrior had said that keeping him alive was no act of mercy. Perhaps the old blue puffball had not gone as soft as Dusk had supposed.

"Dr. Knarks... you don't have to do this..." Dusk sobbed, shaking violently.

"Oh, I know I don't have to do this." Dr. Knarks hissed, leveling his fierce, red glare to Dusk's frightened orange eyes, "But I really want too!"

"No... no... please... no, I beg you, Dr. Knarks... please!"

Meanwhile, walking down the hallway, Garna, Roaren, and Escargoon were all silent, up until an ear splitting scream of agony echoed through the corridor, and it didn't stop from there. Escargoon shuddered, looking over his shoulder. Amongst the screams, one could hear Nasher's cackles and giggles of delight, along with the mad doctor's grunts and shouting.

"Well, I'm hungry, how about you guys?" Garna asked, nonchalantly, glancing over to Roaren and Escargoon.

"Sounds good!" both the snail and wolfwrath answered in unison, quickening their pace.

 **Author's Notes::**...Enjoy Dusk getting his just deserts! Never, EVER destroy a crazy person's favorite painting of someone they admire. Nuff said.

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, Riley, and all OCs, and World of Horva are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


	46. A Dose of Reality

In You're Nightmares, A Dose of Reality

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and Recreational Drug References.

'Part of me thinks that Sir Meta Knight shouldn't have done it. When he, Kautounie, and Geoffrey told me and everyone else here that they gave Dusk to Dr. Knarks, I-I-I nearly lost it. Who knows what that sadist will do to him. That's something I wouldn't wish on anyone. But then they told me what Dusk had done to Kirby and Neo and why they were acting the way they were. Now that other half of me thinks we should just let Dusk rot in Dr. Knarks' asylum, serves him right! According to Kautounie, there's a medicinal plant called Milk of Mothberry. Apparently, when applied to wounds, it helps them heal. But when ingested, it becomes a powerful hallucinogenic poison and has another name, the Waking Nightmare. I had hoped Dusk was lying like he usually did, but Kautounie and I went through the lab downstairs, (with some difficulty, I might add, since the Stargazers had already ransacked the place pretty thoroughly), and we found some vials, with Nightmare Enterprise's logo and zwetoock writing on them. Kautounie was able to identify it as Waking Nightmare. Then we ran a few tests of our own, confirming without a doubt that our friends have been afflicted with this dangerous poison. I'm, I'm scared, for Kirby and Neo. We've been going through everything we can find, looking for some sort of antidote. So far, there's nothing, not that we've been able to find. I can't even remember how many days have gone past, if any have gone past. I don't like being here, it's only a matter of time before Lord Nightmare realizes that something's not right.'

The Thoughts of Tiff Ebrum

'Grrrr... I'm becoming more and more frustrated. With time, Kirby and Neo are not getting any better. If anything, they're only getting worse. Looking through all the papers and books in the lab... it's wasting time! Time my sister and Kirby do not have! Dusk had bragged about there being no cure for the Waking Nightmare... no known cure. He had given hint that Miachang might have known about a cure... but... Sir Jecra killed her. I cannot blame him for it, how the hell were any of us supposed to know? Besides, had he not killed that Bloodtooth witch, I would be one of the ghosts trapped in these halls. Geoffrey and Meta Knight have been doing their part, scouring online for any information on this dangerous poison. Even going as far as to break into Nightmare Enterprises' database through the use of Dusk's computer that we found in his room. Nothing as of yet. But maybe what we need isn't in any books or computers. Perhaps it's a very good thing we know a mad doctor.'

The Thoughts of Kautounie Redsun

'This... I don't understand. Why would Kirby and Neo be unaffected by my presence and King Dedede's, yet they cower in fear of every movement made by Meta Knight or Kautounie. I'm-I'm not much of a healer, I'm unsure what to do, but I'm one of the few people here Kirby and Neo trust. Yet, I can't say that their views of myself or that chunky wannabe king has been... entirely unaffected. They are convinced that we're going to join them in torment. Every waking moment they beg us to escape. Don't get me wrong, I'd like to get out of here... but not like this exactly.'

The Thoughts of Sirica

'Tiff and Kautounie have been working tirelessly and valiantly to find a cure for the accursed poison afflicting my son's and Neo's minds. So far, there has been nothing. They've found the poison itself to be certain, but nothing about curing the damage it causes. For the first time in a long time, I find myself truly afraid... afraid for my son and for my friend. Their condition is only worsening. Now both of them are refusing to drink or eat and anything I have tried to force down is spit right back up. *sigh* Geoffrey and I have both hacked into Nightmare Enterprises' sites with the use of Dusk's computer, yet our efforts remain fruitless. There must be something out there. Something to cleanse this vile toxin from their minds. I don't really want to, but there's one card yet to play. Perhaps it's time we give our mad doctor a call.'

The Thoughts of Sir Meta Knight

'You know, it figures that in the heat of battle, we'd end up killing the only person (here) that could have potentially cured Kirby and Neo of their poisoning. Then again, Miachang probably would have taken her own life before assisting Redsuns and Star Warriors. Urgggg... all the while, we've got several furry ticking time bombs camping out below us. It's only a matter of time before the Stargazers decide to join forces with us or slaughter us in our sleep. Hopefully it wont get that far, not on Sir Jecra's watch. Ether way, everyone else here is thinking it and I'm sure you are too. How the f*** are we going to find a cure for our two little friends? Now then, get out of my head! We've got work to do!'

The Thoughts of Geoffrey 'Redsun' Collins

Two days had passed, in a complete and total blur. Every day ran the risk of Nightmare growing more and more curious, unless he'd figured it out already. Here they were, in hostile Bloodtooth territory with a pack of Stargazer barbarian horse lords living below them and no sign of any remedy for their sick companions. By now, Kirby and Neo refused to eat or drink anything willingly and what Meta Knight had tried forcing down had just come right back up... all over him. Neither one could sleep anymore, as they would be tormented by terrible dreams. Only King Dedede and Sirica could change their dressings without stressing Kirby and Neo anymore then they already were. By now, their two sick companions had lost more weight and became weaker by the minute. Kirby's wings, having grown in full of feathers and bright white, were beginning to dull and feathers were falling out.

"But Meta Knight, there's nothing." Tiff sighed, "Kautounie and I, you and Geoffrey, we've searched everywhere and torn the lab apart on three separate occasions. There is no cure." she added, sadly.

"No, not everything yet, girlie." King Dedede interjected, "What about that lizard scientist guy?"

"His majesty is right... perhaps... he'll know something." Meta Knight muttered, in that sort of tone that told everyone that he was up to something.

"You don't mean-? You do." Tiff sighed, with a hint of disgust.

No one had really wanted to, but there weren't many options left. As a matter of fact, there were none. Without needing to be told, Geoffrey grabbed the laptop computer from the bedside table and plugged in one of his portable drives and the Xtransiear into it before setting everything up. While the rogue was doing that, Kautounie anxiously glanced to her sister. She hadn't even been able to sit down next to her without sending Neo into a panicked frenzy. As of right now, Sirica currently held that seat. The tough little commando could only shrug, though she had a look of 'help me' in her usually fierce, sharp eyes. Dedede, who sat in an armchair that had been moved to Kirby's side of the bed to accommodate his bulk, had that same, scared look, even more so when Kirby's stubby hand took hold of a fold of his robe. Neither of them had been getting much rest, considering Kirby and Neo needed round the clock care and could not be left alone.

"Okay, here goes, gather round, people." Geoffrey sighed as the others in the group crowded around the fireplace where Geoffrey parked himself with the laptop.

Tiff, Kautounie, and Meta Knight of all people, looked most anxious of all once the static on the screen cleared up, revealing the familiar surroundings of Dr. Knarks' basement lab. Though there was something a bit different. Perhaps it was something that needed to be cleared up on his end. Something wasn't quite right, then Tiff asked, hesitatingly, "Wait a minute, is that... blood on the screen?"

Yes, indeed there was some blood spatter of the not-so-good-doctor's screen, but it was only when the audio had been adjusted did everyone get the full scale of the tortured, pain filled screams, loud, maniacal snarls, and insane giggling coming from within the lab. Quickly, Geoffrey gritted his teeth and turned the volume down. All the while, King Dedede and Sirica had more work on their hands, doing their best to soothe their two agitated companions.

"No! Not again! Please... no more... leave him alone!" Neo howled, "You've got to get out of here! Go away! They'll kill you!"

"Shhhh... it's okay, no one here... ummmm... will hurt you here anymore." Sirica said, stumbling over her choice for words awkwardly.

Kautounie glanced over her shoulder in time to see King Dedede and Sirica shake their heads. Thankfully, Neo and Kirby lay back down, quietly.

"Sorry." Geoffrey muttered.

Now that the initial shock was over, they could see Dr. Knarks bent over a table, his lab coat and gloves stained with blood, dried and fresh. There was something, or rather someone, chained up to the metal table in the middle of the dimly lit room, to which the mad doctor had been stitching up... without anesthetic. Upon closer inspection they all realized at the same time that it was Dusk.

"Excuse me?" Meta Knight asked, his voice cracking, if only a little, "Doctor?"

"What the f***? Who calls during the fun part?!" Nasher's voice squealed, with great annoyance.

"Bugger! Just put some ice on there, it'll be fine!" Dr. Knarks snarled, glaring down at Dusk, "Who the hell is-oh, hello, my good friends." he hissed, immediately changing his tune, "I'll be with you is just a moment. Ummm, Larry, would you finish this for me, please? And do find something to shut him up! There must be something in my dirty laundry you can use."

With that, the mad doctor set down his tools and removed his blood crusted leather gloves, leaving his waddle dee assistant to finish up the sutures. From behind, all that could be heard were Dusk's pained sobs and Nasher's annoyed groaning now that the 'fun' was over. Dr. Knarks let out a heavy grunt, flexing his wings as far as they would go before sitting down in his computer chair.

"Hmhmhm, I must really thank you all. My good Sir Meta Knight, I had no idea just how truly fascinating yours and Kirby's kind is, a marvel of biological and medicinal science to be certain. Where is our fluffy little pink friend, anyway?" Dr. Knarks asked, genuinely curious.

"That's... the reason we're calling you, Dr. Knarks." Meta Knight sighed.

Geoffrey stood up and spun the laptop around so that Dr. Knarks could get a good look at Neo and Kirby and the horrid condition that they were in. Before the mad doctor could inquire, Tiff and Kautounie were already on top of things.

"Dr. Knarks, during their captivity, Dusk had his Bloodtooth sorceress drugged Kirby and Neo with something called the Waking Nightmare." Tiff explained.

"Oooohhhhhh... not good." Dr. Knarks winced, noticeably backing away a little.

"Do you know anything about it?" Kautounie asked.

Dr. Knarks remained quiet for a moment, though he had that thoughtful look in his eye. All the while, if one were to watch the goings on in the background, you could see Nasher take on his were-form and drag a sobbing, mangled Dusk out of the lab, leaving a trail of blood behind. Finally, the draconian spoke.

"Yes, I've had some... personal use with Milk of Mothberry, in my wild and impetuous youth, of course. It was used as a... recreational drug at one time. For the first doses, it was quite lovely I'll admit, but soon, pleasure became torment. Good thing I caught onto it before it got to bad." Dr. Knarks explained, "But if there's an overdose, the Waking Nightmare wont go away on it's own."

"Is there anything you actually know of that can cure it?!" Tiff snapped, growing impatient, "Dusk said there's no known cure, except maybe something Miachang could have made... maybe. But I know you, Dr. Knarks! You obviously know something!"

Before Tiff could launch herself into a tirade, Meta Knight grabbed hold of her arm, keeping her back.

"Hmhmhm, Milady, indeed there is no KNOWN cure for the Waking Nightmare. You don't think I go around sharing all my recipes with everyone under the dark side of the moon, do you?" Dr. Knarks asked, taking a small notebook from his pocket and flipping through the pages, "And Tiff, my dear, you hardly know me at all."

Tiff and Kautounie were the first to perk up, closely followed by Meta Knight, then everyone else. Did a cure possibly exist? Maybe Dr. Knarks was the only one who knew about it now.

"There's a cure, after all?" Meta Knight asked, wrapping his cape around himself.

"Please, Dr. Knarks, if you know how to heal Kirby and Neo, you've got to send the medicine to us! We've got a monster transporter here and-" Kautounie started.

"Hold it, hold it, hold it!" Dr. Knarks grunted, holding out his hands in a calming gesture to get Kautounie to slow down, "First, I haven't any of such medicine brewed, second, it's a rather fussy little potion that's quite volatile when completed." he explained, "Sending something like that through a complex machine such as a Monster Transporter... well, you'd be lucky if the medicine didn't blow up right in your face the instant you picked up the vial."

"Shit!" Kautounie cursed with a loud, frustrated snarl, "We haven't got times for your games, doctor!"

Geoffrey managed to calm Kautounie down before she went into a venomous tirade, seeing that clearly Dr. Knarks hadn't finished yet.

"Maybe you could just send the raw ingredients through the Monster Transporter and brew it here," interjected Sirica as she joined the group.

"Thank you, Miss... uh, oh whatever your name is!" Dr. Knarks grumbled, holding out his hands, "If you, your highness Kautounie, would have let me finish, I would have suggested simply sending you and Miss Tiff the components to the remedy. When not combined, they should transfer just fine... but I can't guarantee anyone's safety, of course. "

While Dr. Knarks let out a relieved sigh, several pained whimpers escaped Kirby's and Neo's mouths as the two of them struggled in the throws of yet another terrible nightmare. There wasn't much time left for them. Kautounie nor Tiff may have had much experience brewing potions, let alone one so complex and possibly dangerous, such as this one. But it wasn't like there were a lot of options available at the moment.

"Lets do this, doctor." Kautounie said, nodding.

"For Kirby and Neo." Tiff added, nervously.

"Good, good, now then, I'll guide you every step of the way. You do have a lab there, don't you?" Dr. Knarks inquired.

Tiff and Kautounie both nodded.

"Excellent. What do you say we stir up... a Dose of Reality?" Dr. Knarks questioned, his clever work face hidden by his mask.

Kautounie didn't like to admit it, but she was feeling that strange flutter in her heart yet again. It was faint, but it was there. With a heavy sigh, she looked to her sister, who squirmed in a tormented sleep, sobbing fearfully and pulling against the ethereal bonds that held her in place. Poor Kirby wasn't faring much better, and even King Dedede's awkward, yet kind-hearted attempts to soothe his once worst enemy to sleep wasn't working. Thankfully, Sir Jecra's spirit hovered above the two troubled souls, and if only for a short while, was able to get them to rest and remain still.

"So, how do we do this then?" Tiff asked.

*Prison Laboratories*

So it was decided. Geoffrey, Sirica, and King Dedede would remain upstairs to keep watch over their sick companions while Kautounie and Tiff took the laptop and went down to the laboratory. Meta Knight had decided to come with them, just in case. There were still the Stargazers to contend with, and he did not want to leave the two ladies unattended. (He knew they could take care of themselves, but it was the knightly thing to do.) Meanwhile, Dr. Knarks had left the monitor to rummage through his messy and hectic lab, with the help of his waddle dees, collecting all sorts of various jars and beakers filled with powders, herbs, and liquids to get ready for transport.

On the way down to the dungeons, the small group had attracted the attention of the Stargazer pack camping out on the ground floor. At least the last couple days had been treating them better, as they had obviously been eating and packing on more of their former bulk. One female in particular watched Tiff, Kautounie, and Meta Knight with critical green eyes. She had a black pelt and dull gold mane. All over her body were several scars from precise cuts that could have only come from being tortured. The young Stargazer was only about as old as Kautounie, maybe a little older. Tiff knew this zwetoock from a few days ago, she had helped treat her wounds. Her name was Roslyn Stargazer, Alphess of the Stargazer Pack.

The lab in the dungeons was still a mess, but with a quick spell from Kautounie, all the junk that had been piled up on their workspace was flung to the far wall with a flick of the zwetoock's hand. Tiff, praying she was doing it correctly, began to set up the burners and equipment they would need to brew the medicine. With the good doctor's guidance, the girls and even Meta Knight rooted through the stores and found a few of the strange components Dr. Knarks had been listing off. Already, none of them were feeling very comfortable about this right now.

"Alright, I've got your coordinates from the little gift you sent me, so I'll be sending you whatever you don't have on hand." Dr. Knarks purred, with what one could call sick delight, "Oh, I nearly forgot, you'll need some Wyrmrot as well."

"WHAT?!" Kautounie shouted, in shock.

Wyrmrot? Was he serious? Frighteningly, he was.

"But... but that's a poison!" Tiff stammered in disbelief.

"Half the components of the Dose of Reality are poisons, my dear! Which is why you better follow my instructions to the letter, for it is disastrous if brewed improperly!" Dr. Knarks barked.

Kautounie didn't like it, but there was something telling her deep down to trust Dr. Knarks. Even Meta Knight, who had good reason NOT to trust the draconian, put his emotions aside and took the small bottle of Wyrmrot that he had been carrying since Harmony out from under his cape and set it on the counter. There wasn't much left, but Dr. Knarks assured them it would be enough. If Meta Knight could put his faith in Dr. Knarks, then so could Tiff.

"By the Will of the Great Dragon..." Kautounie mouthed, taking in a deep breath.

"You better know what you're doing, doctor." Tiff hissed, with great distrust laced in her voice.

"I have to agree. I'm not exactly fond of this idea of putting more poisons into Kirby and Neo." Meta Knight said.

"Indeed, then you had better keep your ears open and mind sharp." Dr. Knarks answered back, "Now then, we have work to do."

 **IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~**

As soon as the mad doctor sent the rest of the raw components and a copy of the complex recipe via Monster Transporter there was no turning back. Already Sir Jecra had sifted into the lab to inform them of Kirby's and Neo's worsening condition. Either they would die from the Waking Nightmare or they could get poisoned by an improperly brewed cure. So that left one option; get it done right the first time!

"They're not doing well. My attempts to comfort them no longer work." Sir Jecra informed, "The nightmare suffered weighs deeply upon they're minds."

Meta Knight let out a heavy sigh, but he nodded in response to his old friend. He wasn't exactly expecting good news from any updates. Without another word, Sir Jecra sifted back into the walls to return to their improvised recovery room.

"Now that the Wyrmrot has been added, no more then a pinch of the Powdered Torrential Sword Spider Hide." Dr. Knarks instructed, "Be very careful, it's quite reactive towards-"

The draconian was cut off by a loud, sharp explosion and the sound of shattering glass. It had even startled Meta Knight out of his deep thought.

Once the plume of black, foul smelling smoke cleared, Dr. Knarks sighed, looking upon both Kautounie and Tiff, who looked as though they had just climbed down a chimney.

"No, no, no!" Dr. Knarks grumbled, "I warned you to be careful with that! Wait a moment, that's not the Sword Spider Hide in your hand, it's the... the Phoenix Ash! Urggggg! Read the labels, ladies!"

"Ummm, excuse me, but this IS labeled as Powdered Torrential Sword Spider Hide!" Tiff pointed out.

"And define 'pinch', please." Kautounie growled, her temper rising, "Another thing, your handwriting in the common tongue is terrible!" she added, holding up the mangled sheet of paper with the Dose of Reality's recipe on it.

"I was in a hurry!" Dr. Knarks growled in his own defense.

Dr. Knarks grumbled to himself, slumping down in his seat and shaking his head while simultaneously putting it into his hands. Teaching amateurs wasn't really his thing. The Dose of Reality was highly complex and advanced... not to mention, expensive to make. With that failed attempt, the girls would have to start over.

"Usually Neo's the one who figures this shit out!" Kautounie groaned, as she collected fresh beakers off the shelves to start warming over the burners.

"This is nothing like chemistry back home!" Tiff whined in annoyance.

"Right now, Kirby and Neo are counting on you two. Focus!" Meta Knight barked.

As the second attempt begun, Tiff and Kautounie nearly had the volatile concoction blow up in their faces a second time. Dr. Knarks muttered to himself, rolling his red eyes, stopping only when Tiff and Kautounie both leveled their nastiest death glares to him.

"Alright, ladies. Ready to try this again?" Dr. Knarks questioned, "Remember, start with the Wyrmrot and-"

Suddenly, he was cut off. Felldersai's lab door suddenly swung open without any warning. Instinctively, Meta Knight jumped off his perch on the table and drew his sword, ready for a fight should one occur. However, the old warrior lowered his weapon when his golden eyes locked onto the fierce, green eyes of the black pelted female Stargazer that had been watching them curiously from before. Without a word, the female Stargazer, which Tiff recognized as Roslyn Stargazer, stepped forward and joined Tiff and Kautounie. She wasn't making any threatening motions, but Meta Knight still kept a sharp eye on her.

"Who are-?" Kautounie started.

"Grrrr...okay... there are lives at stake here!" Dr. Knarks hissed, "More the merrier, just keep in mind that I'm not made of Nightmare's money nor Wyrmrot and given your first botched attempt you've got one last shot at this! Now, start with the Wyrmrot and Gaiaroot Extract first and simmer over the low heat... again..."

At first, the newcomer was startled by Dr. Knarks and how he could speak to her liberators out of such a strange, thin box. But, she gently guided Tiff's and Kautounie's hands through the delicate process, assisting them, catching mistakes before they could happen. Finally, while waiting for the brew to come to the right temperature, Roslyn Stargazer spoke.

"You should be proud of your cub, Masked One." Roslyn mentioned, glancing to Meta Knight, "Even through the poison and pain, he resisted the Gray Demon every step of the way."

"Is that why they hurt him so badly?" Tiff questioned, receiving a nod in response.

"Yes, when he refused to torture my people by the Grey Demon's orders, the little dragon would suffer for his defiance, and he would suffer beside her."

"She's my sister." Kautounie sighed, "Neo, the little dragon of which you speak."

"When I first saw you, I thought you must be her sister. You look so much alike." Roslyn mentioned, "I want all of you to know how brave your companions were and still are. My people admire strength and courage. And I am grateful to you as well. You did what I could not."

The Stargazer nodded again in thanks, though they were quickly snapped out of their chat by Dr. Knarks' impatient barking of the next instructions, which, to Tiff's and Kautounie's dismay, had not been transferred very well onto the recipe sheet. However, through the complex process, the Stargazer was right there beside them, guiding them. She obviously had much more experience in the complex art of potion making, to which Dr. Knarks breathed a sigh of relief. At least someone there knew what she was doing.

"Alright, now comes the tricky part. You'll need to split the cooled batch into two separate flasks. Make sure they weigh exactly the same before continuing with the final ingredient." Dr. Knarks instructed.

Before Tiff could ask why, both Meta Knight and the Stargazer interjected.

"Please, Tiff. Just do as he says." Meta Knight sighed, feeling his heart flutter with fear and anticipation.

Slowly, and carefully, the two mages split the batch into two equal parts, using a bizarre, old fashioned scale to make sure the batches were even. The Stargazer watched over them, nodding her head in approval.

"Now, all you'll need is a drop of the administrator's blood... that would be Kautounie and Tiff, of course, in your own flasks, mind you. You don't want to get this shit mixed up." Dr. Knarks grumbled.

Without a second thought, Kautounie pricked her finger with her claw, letting a single drop of blood drip into the potion. The brew fizzled and foamed, becoming opaque black in color. At first, Tiff was afraid they had done something wrong again, until Dr. Knarks assured them that was supposed to happen. Next, is was Tiff's turn.

"Alright, now we need... blood of... receptionist? Urggg, I can hardly read this childish writing!" Kautounie growled.

"Recipient, recipient! Come on!" Dr. Knarks groaned.

Despite the stress, Tiff couldn't help but stifle a laugh. The two of them had some blood from Kirby and Neo both, as they had tested some of it earlier. Two drops later, the Dose of Reality began to fizzle and boil once again. Eventually, the volatile brew settled down, though it had warmed up considerably.

"Now, it'll only be good for a half an hour, so you had best get moving!" Dr. Knarks warned, "Once administered, the Dose of Reality will make the patient sleep for about twelve hours, all the while, they will... relive what has transpired during the course of the Waking Nightmare as it truly happened."

"What?!" Tiff asked, shocked, "Dr. Knarks, they've suffered enough already! Now you tell us that they'll relive their torment?!"

"They will continue to writhe in torment for the rest of their lives... which wont be much longer, given their condition... unless they take this medicine to destroy the Waking Nightmare's effects. Which, you better hurry, only about twenty eight minutes left." Dr. Knarks explained, checking the imaginary watch on his wrist.

"Dr. Knarks... thank you." Meta Knight said, as he and the girls prepared to head back upstairs.

"Don't thank me yet... out!" Dr. Knarks growled, cutting off his communications.

Quickly, Meta Knight closed the laptop and snatched it up. The mess and the fumes down here no longer mattered. They had to get this medicine to Kirby and Neo.

"I wish you the best, Stars and Dragons. May your friends, your cubs, recover swiftly." Roslyn said, bowing in thanks once again.

"Thank you, your majesty." Kautounie answered back.

While Alphess Roslyn returned to her mate and her pack, Tiff, Meta Knight, and Kautounie headed back upstairs. They had to walk carefully, since the potion would react every time it was jostled too harshly. It was no wonder Dr. Knarks dare not send it through a monster transporter. Just walking with it in your hand was like holding a live grenade.

*Back in the Improvised Recovery Room*

Once upstairs, with everything still in tact, I might add, Tiff sat down by Kirby and Kautounie took a seat next to Neo. King Dedede winced at the sight of the black potion, making a comment that it looked like something he'd find under his car back home, but Tiff just ignored him. Finally, Meta Knight nodded.

"Are you sure that stuff wont kill them?" Sirica asked, nervously.

"Nope... but it's all we've got." Kautounie sighed.

She mouthed a quick prayer before pouring the liquid down Neo's throat. Tiff took Kautounie's bold move to thought and gave Kirby the same treatment. Neither one took to the medicine very well at first. As soon as the bitter, oily potion touched their tongues, Kirby's and Neo's first instinct was to spit it out. Both bolted upright, as far as their bonds and physical limitations would allow.

"No, no, please don't Kirby. Don't... please..." Tiff begged, frantically, clamping her hand over Kirby's mouth, eventually forcing him to swallow, "Everything will be alright, you'll be alright."

"Neo... I'm so sorry." Kautounie sighed, once Neo had finally swallowed her Dose of Reality.

Neo and Kirby struggled in panic. The tonic had a truly disgusting taste. Shortly after the medicine was administered, Kirby and Neo began to feel hazy and lightheaded. About a minute later, they were asleep, though they were already twitching and moaning. All that could be done now was to make sure they were comfortable and wait. Sir Jecra removed the ethereal chains he had been using to restrain the two young cubs before fading back into the wall. Twelve hours, Dr. Knarks had said. Hmph, give or take.

"So... what exactly happened down there?" Geoffrey asked, curiously.

"Well, we've got time for a bit of a story." Kautounie answered, carefully wiping up a bit of excess potion that had dribbled out of Neo's mouth.

 **IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~**

There was only so many times the same story could be told and explained. Even Meta Knight didn't completely understand everything that had happened. Though to be fair, he was very distracted at the moment. For the first six hours or so, Neo and Kirby would scream in pain and shudder violently. But once evening came, they had settled down and appeared to be getting restful sleep.

While Kirby and Neo slept that night, two members of the team stayed up on watch to allow the others to rest. Come early morning, Meta Knight and Kautounie had been woken up to take their turn. Not much had changed with their two sick companions, they were both still asleep, but there was a bit more color to their skin and neither one was shaking or mumbling.

"It's... been about twelve hours." Meta Knight sighed at last.

 **IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~**

The last thing Kirby truly remembered was being on that table in the torture room and having some horrible tasting gunk poured down his throat. For days, if not weeks, he had been locked in a terrible nightmare and unable to shake it. Worse still, when he did wake, the nightmare was still going. But then... something happened. At first, Kirby found himself trying to interject himself between Meta Knight and some poor, helpless zwetoock. He cried his mentor's name over and over, only to see that Meta Knight was never there... it was Dusk! Dusk had been doing this to him! Strange visions and voices flooded the young Star Warrior's mind. At first, they were of pain and suffering... his pain and suffering. Tiff yelling at him, Kautounie's mockeries, Geoffrey's betrayal, and Meta Knight's abandonment. But eventually, those images faded, instead being replaced by his fondest memories, both old and new. It was as though he was watching himself train with Meta Knight, read a book beside the fire with Tiff, riding Geoffrey's horse with his mentor, and fighting for what was right beside his closest and most loyal friends. His real friends! Now it was all coming back to him. Meta Knight and the others never lied to him! It was Dusk. It had to have been.

 _"_ _Be strong, Kirby... have faith. They'll find us.'_ whispered a soft, gentle voice, unmistakably Neo's.

At first, he didn't really want to wake up. The little warrior felt so warm and comfortable. But then the pain started creeping throughout his body, forcing Kirby's eyes to flutter open. He was a little confused. Kirby had remembered dreaming about waking up and finding himself in bed, this one in fact, but his memory was pretty foggy. He could tell that he was still within the walls of Felldersai, but there was something different. Still, Kirby didn't care. He'd happily take a warm, comfortable bed over the filthy dungeon cell floor.

Kirby rolled over as much as he could, smiling when he saw that Neo was right there beside him, cuddling up in a large fur pelt, her ears flicking and twitching every now and again. He reached over, taking her much larger paw in his stubby hand. Slowly, Neo opened up one amber eye, smiling.

"Hey little friend..." Neo muttered.

"Poyo." Kirby chirped.

Still, the pain could not be ignored, and it was even more evident when the white dressings wrapped around his injuries were beginning to seep red. Then Kirby noticed something else, something with feathers... attached to his back. Wait! Were those... wings? But how? When? He had remembered dreaming about sprouting wings. Or was it a dream? Oh, he felt so confused right now. But what Kirby saw next could only be described as overwhelming relief.

There, sleeping on a couch next to the fireplace was King Dedede, Tiff, and Sirica. Wait, Sirica? He remembered her, he had been having dreams with her in them, but Kirby hadn't seen her since the raid on Nightmare's Deep Space Fortress. Next, there was Geoffrey, who, as always, was leaning against the wall to catch his Zs. Kirby couldn't help but smile and feel at ease. Lastly, Kirby could see Kautounie striding the length of the room and take a seat beside Neo. Gently, the older zwetoock began to groom her sister's messy, faded mane. Kirby let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes. He didn't care that he was still in Felldersai Taa. His family had come for him.

"Poyo?" Kirby muttered, glancing up as a cool, wet rag was placed across his forehead.

His blue eyes met with the familiar golden ones of his beloved mentor, his father, Meta Knight. Even though the older warrior was trying to hide it, Kirby could tell that Meta Knight was worried. The elder blue puffball was sitting by Kirby's bedside, with some fresh rolled up bandages and medicines for changing dressings.

Then Kirby remembered the dreams he had been having of Meta Knight torturing him and hurting helpless prisoners. But that was all it was... just a terrible, terrible dream fabricated by Dusk and his Bloodtooths.

"Kirby? Kirby! You're awake!" Meta Knight gasped, trying as hard as he could to keep his voice down, "My son... my little warrior."

"What? He's awake?!" Kautounie questioned, her ears perking.

"Daddy?" Kirby asked, nervously, "Kauto?

Meta Knight's eyes dulled for a moment as he took in a deep breath. They opened again when he felt a small, stubby pink hand grab hold of his cape.

"Poyo... happy... you came... for Kaabi... and Neo." Kirby chirped, smiling, "Happy... to have... daddy back."

Now it was Meta Knight's turn to feel overwhelming relief. The Dose of Reality had worked! Meta Knight lightly stroked his son's head, delighting in the content, happy noises he heard from Kirby. Kautounie smiled in relief, her tail wagging uncontrollably and several soft, happy yips escaped her mouth.

After a much needed happy reunion with his mentor and father, it was clear that the old bandages needed to be changed. But while Meta Knight began replacing the old dressings, he would often have to push Kirby back down into bed, as the younger warrior kept on trying to get up. Kirby did not want to be seen as weak, not after everything that had happened. Remind you of someone else we know?

"Kirby my son, stay down. You're terribly sick and you need to rest." Meta Knight ordered.

"Poyo... not... weak, Medi Kni." Kirby strained, sitting up once again and taking an experimental flap with his wings.

That proved to be a mistake. With a searing pain lancing throughout every muscle in his body, Kirby had no choice but to lay back down and rest. Now that he was fully awake, everything was coming back to him. He felt tired and weak, thirsty and hungry. Come to think of it, Kirby nor Neo had eaten a meal in days, nor had a sip of water either.

"Shhhhh... easy, little one." Kautounie whispered, soothingly.

"Kirby, you're not weak. You're one of the strongest warriors I know." Meta Knight growled, "However, as my apprentice, you must take my orders. And right now I am ordering you to rest and get healthy! Do I make myself clear, young one?"

Gingerly, Kirby nodded and remained still. Satisfied, Meta Knight finished wrapping the fresh bandages around his apprentice's injuries and tossed the old ones away before tucking the blankets and furs around Kirby to keep him warm. After giving Kirby a mouthful of pep brew and some water to slake his thirst, it was Neo's turn for treatment.

"Kirby... please, for both our... sakes, stay down." Neo moaned, groggily.

"Oh Gods... Neo!" Kautounie yelped, hastily bounding to her sister's side, "Thank the Great Sundar!"

Neo didn't resist when Kautounie wrapped her arms around her and nuzzled her, whimpering softly. In fact Neo smiled, returning the affection as best she could, up until the pain started to crawl back throughout her body.

"Ow, ow, ow, Kautounie..." Neo groaned.

"Easy there, Kautounie." Meta Knight said, carefully moving around his apprentice to check on Neo.

"Sorry." Kautounie moaned, apologetically as she loosened her grip on Neo.

It was as if Kautounie was truly afraid for the first time in her life. Afraid that is she let go of Neo, she would loose her again.

Neo lay still for a moment in her older sister's arms. So much was on her mind right now, and if she held it in any longer, it would all spill out at once.

"Kautounie... I've missed you so much!" Neo sighed, "I love... you as anyone should love their sister. But next time... I'm telling on you!"

Kautounie and Meta Knight had a hard time not laughing. Even through such a traumatic experience, Neo still had her gentle sense of humor. The Dose of Reality had been a success, on both of them.

While Neo had her old, soaked through dressings changed, Kirby moved a little closer, taking Neo's paw-like hand in his stubby pink one once again.

"Poyo, Neo. Safe now." he said.

"Yes... yes we are. Thank you, all of you." Neo sighed, pulling Kirby closer to her, "Dusk... he... he drugged us... because Kirby wouldn't obey him. He... he tried to get Kirby to... to turn to the path of a demon... but he refused. Even when they started torturing me to... get to him... and..." she tried to explain.

"It's okay now, Neo. You wont have to worry about that bastard again." Kautounie assured her sister.

Suddenly, Neo's heart began to pound as something else struck her memory.

"Oh gods! What about mother... and father?! The pack? The dragons?"

It took quite a few gentle words and hands to get Neo to calm down and catch her breath before she hurt herself. Once the young cub relaxed, she and Kirby were both told about what had happened. Thankfully, Tamoko and Rhego survived, though the news of Zodiac's death weighed heavy. Neither may have known him very well or for very long, but it was still a great loss.

While Kirby and Neo were told what had been going on since their kidnapping and how they had been cured of the vile Waking Nightmare, Kautounie began heating up some leftover soup from the night before for them to eat. As soon as Kautounie brought a bowlful to her sister's side, Neo was already eagerly lapping away at the warm, savory broth. Kirby, well, he wasn't too far behind her.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, anxiously.

"Uh, uh, I'll do it. You just rest, my little warrior." Meta Knight said firmly, feeding his eager and hungry apprentice a spoonful.

"Not to fast, Neo. As a healer, you ought to know that after what you've been through, eating to much to fast will do more harm then good." Kautounie sighed, in an effort to get Neo to slow down.

"Oh yeah? Where did you hear that?" Neo asked, taking a moment to look up, licking her chops.

"From you!"

At Neo's sheepish expression, Meta Knight chuckled, giving Kirby another spoonful of soup. It may not have been anything fancy, but after what Kirby and Neo had been through, it was the most luxurious thing on Horva at this time.

"Kirby, I'm not taking it away from you. Relax. Breathe. It's alright." Meta Knight sighed, watching just how eager his apprentice was.

The little pink warrior sure was hungry, but then again, that was normal for him. A good sign at least. Their appetites were back.

"Ohhhh... how can I argue with me?" Neo moaned, softly.

"Poyo." Kirby chirped.

"I still don't know what that means, but thanks." Neo groaned.

Now that the two of them were fed and given some water to drink, Kirby and Neo were much more comfortable, grateful for every bite. Eventually, the noise, even from hushed voices, had caused the other members of the group to stir from their sleep. Although groggy and grumpy at first, everyone put up with the mildly rude awakening once they saw their little friends were on the mend. (With the exception of Geoffrey, who was still lightly snoring as he leaned against the wall, hat covering his eyes.)

"Kirby? Kirby, old buddy! Haha, I've been missin' you!" King Dedede exclaimed, leaping off the couch in a single bound, nearly stepping on Tiff in the process, "Com'ere buddy!"

"King Dedede, careful! He's still hurt!" Tiff barked, narrowing her eyes sleepily.

"Poyo! Tiff! Dedede!" Kirby chirped, anxiously reaching out with his small stubby arms, a bright smile on his face.

Luckily, Tiff and Meta Knight saved Kirby from one of King Dedede's bone crushing hugs, settling instead for some light pats on the head. Tiff still felt herself mesmerized by Kirby's new wings. They would take some getting used to, that much was certain.

"Kirby... I'm so happy to have you back!" Tiff exclaimed, fighting back her tears; not of sadness, rather overwhelming joy.

"Poyo, Tiff. Have you back too!" Kirby purred, taking a handful of her cape along with Meta Knight's.

While Tiff and King Dedede greeted Kirby, the sudden ruckus woke up Talon as the familiar fought to get what rest she could. However, one look at Neo, wide awake and regaining her former strength was enough to let Talon forgive the rest of the group.

"My... my Neo!" Talon screeched, awkwardly drifting down off the head board and to Neo's side.

The bird settled in between Kirby and Neo, doing her best to avoid being crushed by Tiff, King Dedede, and even Meta Knight as the star warrior tried to fend off Tiff's and King Dedede's over exuberant greetings.

"Good girl, Talon... you found them... you did it." Neo praised, stretching out her hand to the owl.

"That's not all I found, my Neo." Talon hooted, her amber eyes shifting over to Sirica.

Sirica and Neo looked at each other in silence for a moment. Neo could have sworn she had seen this girl before. Come to think of it, it was during that long, strange, not to mention frightening dream she had been having. Or was it a dream? Neo wasn't to certain, all she knew, was that she had seen this girl before. One thing that was for certain, Talon was certainly proud of herself.

"I found her for you!" Talon announced, puffing out her chest with pride.

"Hello. I don't think we've been properly introduced." Neo mentioned, shifting in her older sister's arms to get more comfortable, "I'm Neo. Neo Redsun." she added, giving Sirica a traditional zwetoock greeting, as best she could giving her current condition.

"Hi. I'm Sirica." Sirica introduced, doing her best to mimic the greeting.

Neo laughed a little, warm heartedly. Nevertheless, she was happy to make a new friend.

While everyone talked and shared stories with each other, Neo and Kirby could both see Sir Jecra's ethereal form taking shape, sitting on one of the armchairs in the room. For the first time, his mask was off, revealing a face that was near the exact likeness of Knuckle Joe, but older of course. He had a small, but visible smile on his face. Meta Knight seemed to be the only other one that saw him at this point, though it was understandable that everyone else were preoccupied with Kirby and Neo at this time.

Finally, last but not least, Geoffrey groggily rubbed his eyes, having been the only one oblivious to the goings on so far. The rogue stretched, thankfully putting away his revolver as he did, though he couldn't help but wonder why he was getting odd looks from everybody.

"So, what did I miss?" he asked, blinking blearily a few times.

 **IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~**

As the day went on, Kirby and Neo would sleep often, waking up when they were hungry or thirsty. Tiff had used a healing spell on both of them, reducing the amount of open wounds on their bodies and relieving much of the pain. In between the two young ones' awakenings, the rest of the group had located Kirby's and Neo's possessions, some of them having been recovered once Dusk had been defeated, such as Kirby's Winterclaw, others found by accident or on display in his room, like the Heartseeker Bow, Neo's ivory wand, and of course, Kirby's armor. Among the other findings that Geoffrey and Sirica uncovered were Dusk's private reserves, filled with fine foods and even better booze. Then there was Tiff and King Dedede, who stumbled upon Miachang's and Zorra's private food stash down in the lower levels, (which was more of just disgusting then anything else, besides, it seemed as though the Stargazers had already rooted through it), and some of the Bloodtooth Royal's trophies from past battles. Most of the trophy horde was made up of scraps of rusted armor that was beyond repair, however there was one thing that was still in good condition that Tiff discovered under an old chest plate, a small hand crossbow, complete with a full quarrel of bolts. Perhaps it was a Star Warrior's trusted weapon at one point in time. Oddly enough, it fit Tiff's size perfectly, and she had seen for herself many times just how useful having a long ranged weapon could be. Naturally, King Dedede mocked her a little, asking what she planned on doing with her new pointy little toy.

"Bend over and I'll show ya!" the feisty mage replied, effectively shutting King Dedede up.

Later that evening, while the team enjoyed a hot meal, they shared highlights of their exploits with Sir Jecra, who, as Meta Knight knew all to well, enjoyed a really good story. Things got even better when his son was mentioned.

"I knew my boy would take after me." Sir Jecra smirked, leaning back in his seat, "Demon hunter, huh? Not a bad carrier choice."

King Dedede jumped a little bit, wide-eyed, clearly unnerved having the star warrior's ghost so close to him, despite that fact that Sir Jecra assured the king over and over that he wasn't going to drain him of his life force like he had with Miachang Bloodtooth.

"He's a good kid. We became friends when we met during the second war with Nightmare." Sirica explained, "More then... just friends, actually." she added, blushing a little.

"Hmph, lucky little bastard." Geoffrey muttered to himself.

"Excuse me, this is my son we're talking about here." Sir Jecra interjected, narrowing his eyes at Geoffrey.

"I stand corrected and I respectfully withdraw my snide comment." Geoffrey said, gracefully, if rather quickly, "But with protest."

At that exchange, Kautounie and Neo both giggled softly. Meta Knight rolled his eyes. This could go on all night. The elder warrior tore his attention off the banter and glanced to his side when he felt Kirby lightly pull against his cape.

"Poyo, daddy?" Kirby asked, his eyes full of hope.

Meta Knight sighed heavily. He could see that Kautounie and Neo were already cuddled together, blissfully enjoying each others' company and displaying affection. Even Talon hadn't moved from her 'spot', as she was quite content to nest as close to her mage as she safely could. For a moment, Meta Knight ignored Kirby's request as his eyes flashed green for a minute. But finally, the old warrior's heart gave in. Startled at first, Kirby glanced over to see his adopted father reclining next to him, wrapping him in a protective fold of his cape.

"Now you know how I feel when you invite yourself into my personal space, little one." Meta Knight chuckled, softly, gazing down at Kirby with his bright, golden eyes.

Very quickly, Meta Knight learned that the 'intrusion of personal space' was more than welcome, as Kirby snuggled against the blue puffball, cooing happily. When Kirby's arms couldn't reach around his mentor, he opted to wrap a white, feathery wing around Meta Knight instead. Needless to say, the old knight was a little embarrassed, especially when he picked out both Sirica and Sir Jecra trying to keep themselves from laughing. Still, part of him really didn't care. He was just happy to have his son back. Without hesitation, Meta Knight put an arm around his infant son.

"Poyo... sorry daddy." Kirby whispered, "Sorry... for believing... you... hurt Kaabi and Neo. Kaabi... was weak."

"My little warrior, there's nothing to be ashamed of. You're not weak!" Meta Knight said firmly, "I'll tell you something... a very close friend of mine once told me that even heroes need rescuing sometimes."

Kirby glanced up to his father with wide eyes. He had told Meta Knight that exact same thing, after he saved him from Dr. Knarks. Without another word, Meta Knight nodded.

"Precious." Neo muttered.

"Be quiet! Go back to sleep, Neo." Meta Knight grumbled, with a rare playfulness to his voice.

"No, I think she's right. It's about time everyone saw that the stoic, tough blue knight has a soft spot in his heart!" Tiff exclaimed.

"You be quiet too!" Meta Knight groaned.

"Alrighty, time to add more to this story. May as well give Garna and your Boys in Green Armor a status update." Geoffrey announced, more or less to change the subject, as he grabbed the computer off the bedside table and began fiddling with the keys.

As the rogue got to work fixing up the "party lines", as Garna liked to call them, he couldn't help but take a glance at the doorway to the room. Two bright green eyes stared into the room from the dark hallway. A bipedal wolfish figure was slightly illuminated from the light within. Tiff, Kautounie, and Meta Knight were the next ones to take notice. When the others looked to see what was going on, they were already gone.

"Was that... Roslyn?" Tiff muttered, sitting down on the bed, next to Kirby's feet.

"Who?" King Dedede asked.

"Roslyn Stargazer?" Sirica muttered, for confirmation more then anything else.

"Don't worry. She's with us." Kautounie said with a smile, while grooming Neo's mane.

The only one who didn't really seem to care was Kirby, as he sighed happily, cuddling up as close to Meta Knight as he possibly could.

::TO BE CONTINUED::

 **Author's Notes::** It's a VERY good thing our friends know a mad scientist/doctor! And it was a great excuse to... write some more fluff I'll admit... there... I said it, I admitted it, are you happy? I figured that the last few chapters had been filled with so much non-stop fighting it was better to take a bit of a breather from the hardcore action/violence, but don't worry, there's more of THAT on the way!

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, and Riley are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories


	47. Frying Pan or Fire, Your Pick

In You're Nightmares, Frying Pan or Fire, Your Pick

By: TheSilverHyena

WARNING! Contains:: Strong Language, Violence, Graphic Description of Gore, and some Good News followed by some Shocking Confessions by a Certain Draconian Mad Scientist.

*From where we left off*

Ah, don't they ever learn their lesson? Well, not when it comes to three-way communications, that much was damn sure! Once everyone in the rather crowded bedroom they had been camping out in for the last few days picked a spot and got comfortable, the "party-lines" were open. One, was connected to the Halberd's bridge, the other, Dr. Knarks' laboratory. Let the games begin!

Much to Meta Knight's and the others' surprise, Sword and Blade were already on the bridge, like they had been expecting a transmission from their lord. Behind the two knaves stood Tamoko Redsun and her husband. Although Tamoko didn't seem to mind her unusual surroundings, Rhego didn't look entirely comfortable, as his eyes were scanning all the screens, knobs, switches, buttons, and other foreign things around him with mistrust and suspicion.

"You were expecting us?" Meta Knight had asked, curiously as his eyes flashed green.

"Honestly sir, we 'ad no clue since you 'ere never able to 'ive us a time and place for your next tran' miss'ion." Blade Knight explained with a shrug.

"It was her majesty, Tamoko, who suggested we come here at this time. Somehow she knew you'd be contacting us at this hour." Sword added.

Kautounie and Neo snickered. Their mother was certainly an accurate diviner. As the two knaves explained what the alphess had said, Tamoko's gentle smile became wider and wider.

Kirby eagerly waved to Sword and Blade, if only for a moment, since that meant letting go of his beloved teacher, to which the two knaves were eager to return the greeting, since Kirby was their friend too. Needless to say, they were happy to see both Kirby and Neo were on the mend from such a horrific ordeal.

"Aye Kirby, great to see ya again!" Blade Knight said.

"You too, Miss Neo." Sword added.

"Sword Knight, Blade Knight, you remember Sirica, don't you?" Meta Knight asked, gesturing to the commando by his side.

"I remember she gave King Dedede a good -er- never mind." Sword Knight started, slowly stopping once the penguinoid king in question leveled a rather nasty death glare to him, "Yes, sir, I remember Sirica alright!"

"Nice to see you guys again!" Sirica greeted, "On friendlier terms." she added, with a low mutter.

Tamoko's ears flicked forward, carefully listening to everyone and everything. Then she picked out the sounds of her daughter's voices as they spoke, perking up immediately.

"Mother, father! I'm so happy to see you again!" Neo exclaimed, her voice full of relief.

"My child... thank the Great Dragon and stars above!" Tamoko sighed, bowing her head, "They found you. She found you!"

"I made a promise, didn't I, Mother?" Kautounie asked, nuzzling her sister.

But, where as the Redsun royalty and Meta Knight's loyal knaves were expecting them, Dr. Knarks and Garna... well, it was a bit of a different story for everyone to enjoy. Lets just say that the lunatics were truly running the asylum.

The screen flickered, revealing Dr. Knarks' lab, thankfully cleaned of blood, (Dusk's blood, to be exact), but no mad doctor.

"Ummm, hello?" Tiff asked, timidly.

Well, THE mad doctor wasn't there, but Escargoon was, enjoying the quiet. The snail jumped a little at the sudden sound of Tiff's voice, not expecting it at first. He was about to acknowledge Tiff's inquiry, up until...

"DAMN YOU, NASHER!" Roaren snarled as he and the wererat suddenly burst into the room, "Get back here, you mangy rat!"

"Make me, bitch! I've never met a dog that was more of a pussy then you!" Nasher taunted, scrabbling over some equipment, trying to get out of the wolfwrath's reach, "Hehehe! Go dig through the garbage or take a drink from the toilet, mutt!"

Roaren growled audibly, his ears folding back. (Garbage piles brought back terrible memories he'd rather soon forget about.) Finally, he let loose a small jet of flame, earning a startled squeak as Nasher scurried out of sight. Damn it! Just a little off.

"Hey, watch it, Roaren!" Escargoon shouted as he flinched, doing his best to protect the rather flammable liquids he was working with, "Stupid mutt! Don't make me get the squirt bottle!" he mumbled, quietly... at least what he hoped was quietly enough.

"ROAREN!" called Garna's stern yet crazy voice.

The thief mistress bounded into the room, long black hair flowing behind her and emerald eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness of the lab. Roaren whimpered, lowering his head and tail in shame, knowing he was trouble.

"Roaren, what have I told you about breathing fire inside?!" Garna demanded.

"That if I do so, then to be sure to hit the target." Roaren answered, with a deep sigh.

"That's right! Now then, lets - oh, hey guys!" Garna chirped, her tone instantly changing once she realized that they had an audience, "Dr. Knarks isn't here right now, he said something about disposing of some evidence. He's sort of pissy right now after I altered the desktop background to my liking and critiqued his espresso recipe. Hmmm, don't really know why, I'm only trying to lighten the place up and help him out. But I'd be more then happy to get his slimy reptilian ass over here for you." she added cheerfully, taking a seat in Dr, Knarks' favorite swiveling office chair, "HEY, KNARKSY!"

There was a moment of silence after Garna's shrill outburst, until Meta Knight finally spoke.

"Ummm... it's quite alright, Garna, I'm sure he'll hear the noise."

"Oh guys, sire, it's great to see you all again! Your majesty, I'll never complain about you or those brats again." Escargoon exclaimed with relief, "This asylum has become an absolute madhouse with me being the only voice of reason within it! Dr. Knarks is completely off his rocker and this chick is nuttier then a fruitcake!"

"You haven't seen nothin' yet, Escargoon!" Garna muttered with a smile, "But at least we can both agree on something."

"Don't encourage her, Escargoon." Geoffrey warned, "I mean it."

Once the pleasantries and introductions were all out of the way, it was down to business... at least it was going to be, until the mad draconian finally stomped into the room, grumbling to himself in annoyance.

"Honestly, Garna, did you have to replace MY computer background with a picture of that gold-plated Star Warrior goa - oh hi!" Dr. Knarks grunted, his mood seemingly lightening up when he saw his companions gathered around the main computer monitor in his lab.

Now he realized that the dispute about the electronic aesthetics could wait, there was much more important stuff to attend to, like trying to get Garna to move from his chair, and failing miserably. Naturally, before they began, a few things were in order, most important of all, making sure that all Nightmare and Riley were getting were reruns of The Big Bang Theory. Nasher and Roaren were allowed to stay, just as long as no more insults, smoke clouds, and fireballs were hurled.

"Ah, I see that my potion worked!" Dr. Knarks observed, looking at both Kirby and Neo in turn, "You two young ones look considerably better then the last time I saw you. Feel free to thank me anytime." he purred, with great pride.

"Poyo! K-Knarks, poyo you!" Kirby said, sincerely.

"Huh?"

"He's saying thank you, genus... as am I." Neo pointed out, through a laugh.

Dr. Knarks didn't say anything more, at least not out loud. He did mumble something about how him being called 'a simple genus' was an understatement. Needless to say, both Garna and Escargoon ignored him.

"Sir Meta Knight, you'll be 'leased to 'know that repairs re' ahead of schedule." Blade informed, standing at attention.

"Thanks to Miss Riverdale, we received a shipment of a durable steel plating called 'Dragon Scale'." added Sword, "With the help of her majesty Alphess Redsun and her mages, along with Thexadrell, Dracara, and Eclipse, the repairs to the Halberd have been going splendidly. However, there are some malfunctions with the wiring and the left wing took heavier damage then first anticipated and she wont be able to fly right yet."

"Anything for you boys..." Garna sighed, obviously pleased with herself.

"Where there's Garna, there's a way." Geoffrey commented.

Meta Knight nodded with approval, pleased about the report. Not perfect, but it was progress.

"She's looking mighty fine if I do say so myself." Garna added, lightly running her light fingered hand through Roaren's thick, soft fur, "When your bird is back in the air, Nightmare wont know what hit him!"

"Indeed. Quite the intriguing device you have, Sir Meta Knight. Not many of my people have been around such a... starship before." Tamoko said, keeping her paw on her husband's shoulder.

The Alpha male muttered something, swishing his tail as he did so. Tamoko yipped back and nuzzled him, reassuring the Alpha that everything was just fine.

"Have there been any other attacks since we've been out here?" Kautounie asked, concern heavy in her voice.

"Well, there's been a few by Holy Nightmare's ground forces, but they took off as soon as the dragons just looked at em' funny." Sword reported.

"And I'm sure my Celestial Beasts have been a large help!" Dr. Knarks grunted, tapping his claws on the metal counter.

"Oh, right." Blade said, "I or''ot to mention, sir. Dr. Knarks had ent' o'er some of his own beasts to patrol the boarders of the woods. Looks ike' that Monster Transporter came in 'andy af'er all."

Meta Knight smirked beneath his mask. He was glad that Geoffrey had talked him into keeping that thing. It was useful after all. Better still, it DIDN'T belong to King Dedede. Meanwhile, Geoffrey, seemingly reading Meta Knight's thoughts, lightly nudged the blue warrior, quirking an eyebrow.

"So... ummm, how much longer are you planning to stick around there?" Escargoon asked, taking a nervous gulp.

"Well, right now we're camping out in Felldersai Taa, Dusk's room, in fact. Though it wont be long until Nightmare gets curious and sends some minions to clean house." Geoffrey explained, "Though, Sirica and myself have done a pretty good job remodeling if I do say so myself." he added, earning a smirk from Sirica.

"I'm not sure what it is, but... I have this strong feeling that there's still something here in the Badlands we need to do." Tiff added, nervously, "Maybe it's a Star Warrior's intuition."

She felt a little bit silly for saying that, up until Kirby gently nudged her with one of his wings, (mainly because he could reach better with his wings more so then with his stubby pink hands). When Tiff looked over to him, Kirby nodded.

"Poyo, Kaabii agree, Tiff." Kirby said, "Not done in bad place."

"What? What do you mean we isn't done?" King Dedede demanded, "We busted them out of this here prison and now you is sayin' that we ain't done?"

"Exactly what he said." Sirica explained, flatly, "We're no where near done in this hellhole! There's an infestation of demons out there that need exterminating."

Tamoko paused for a moment, listening intently on the newest voice of the group.

"I sense the fire in your voice and spirit, young star. Very much like my eldest daughter. Just be careful not to let it cloud your judgment." Tamoko stated, firmly and wisely.

Sirica blinked in confusion for a minute. How would this canid that she never met know anything about her just from hearing her voice? She was beginning to like Kautounie and Neo, but the Alphess Redsun... she was just spooky. Wise... but spooky.

While all three groups exchanged information, stories, and the like, Sir Jecra hung back in the background, quietly, like the ghost he was. It was nice to hear his friends, old and new, laughing again, but he didn't feel comfortable showing himself to them. Though he knew Sir Meta Knight had put his faith in trustworthy and loyal companions. Well, with a possible exception of Dr. Knarks, but that creature seemed to be behaving himself for now.

King Dedede was proud to say that the metal mask given to him by Tamoko had worked, giving him "super powers" as he described them.

Meta Knight did his best to ignore some of the inquires that were being made about himself and Kirby. Naturally, he denied any and all accusations of softening his steel heart, even as his adopted child snuggled up in his cape with a tired yawn. The elder blue warrior simply looked away, pretending not to care one way or the other. Kautounie and Neo on the other hand, were not at all shy, as the two settled down in a more comfortable position. Talon, lazily opened one amber eye, yet remained amazingly quiet. But eventually, as the evening wore on both Kirby and Neo fell asleep, exhausted from the events of past days and too tired to carry on.

"Aye, Kirby and Miss Neo are lookin' pretty worn out." Sword remarked, "Perhaps it's time we let you all go and let them get some much needed rest. Besides, there's more work to be done over here."

"Indeed, there is much work to be done. By the time we're out of this barren wasteland, you should have the Halberd fit for flight and battle." Meta Knight said.

"Don't you worry about a thing, Sir Meta Knight. Roaren and I have your boys covered." Garna piped in, followed with a nod from both herself and Roaren, "By the way, Geoffrey. Thanks for getting my knife back."

"Anytime." Geoffrey said, tipping his hat.

But of course, before Sword and Blade cut communications on their end, there was just one thing they were just dying to know.

"Wait, sir. Be'ore you go, there's ust' one more thing." Blade began.

"Which is?" Meta Knight asked, his eyes flashing pink in amusement.

"Well, if you're Kirby's dad now, would that make us his uncles or brothers?" Sword asked, awkwardly.

You could hear a pin drop everything became so quiet, and all eyes fell on Meta Knight. Through a startled and dry lump in his throat, the old knight simply said, "Good night, you two!"

Before the transmission with the Halberd had been severed, they could all hear Tamoko laughing softly in the background, followed by that of her mate's. Now that just left Dr. Knarks, and the lunatics that currently ran his asylum on the line. There was a disturbing moment of quiet. One might hear a pin drop on the hard, stone floors of the asylum lab yet again, which Dr. Escargoon hastily snatched up before Dr. Knarks had turned around to see what had just happened.

"Well, Roaren and I have some critters to check up on. Part of this bastard's "Roommate Agreement", you know." Garna sighed, sticking her tongue out while pointing her thumb in Dr. Knarks' direction, "Then I'm gonna go f**k around with Nightmare, see you later!" she announced.

While she and Roaren left the lab, Dr. Knarks was quick to reclaim his chair with an annoyed grumble. Using his tail, he sent various books, papers, and sharp objects clattering to the floor to make room for himself to put his feet up on the desk.

"Hey!" Escargoon shouted in protest, "I just sorted those out!"

"Oh? No wonder I couldn't find anything, anymore. I thought things were too tidy for my tastes." Dr. Knarks growled, with a shrug, "Good Gods, I thought she'd never leave!" he added, in a low, annoyed mutter.

Meta Knight groaned with annoyance, even more so as Kirby sleepily opened up his eyes and rustled his wings. He had tried to hide it, but it was clear that the elder warrior wasn't to happy having his son disturbed from his sleep, and by the looks of things, Tiff wasn't too happy either.

"Dr Knarks..." Tiff hissed in warning, narrowing her eyes.

"Well, all is good now, I guess, because I have a... favor to ask of you, of Sir Meta Knight and little Kirby in particular... now that.. IT is gone!" Dr, Knarks growled with more then just a hint of disdain.

Meta Knight and Tiff both tensed, and Geoffrey and Kautounie looked weary, though to be honest, King Dedede and Sirica seemed like they really didn't know how to respond to the draconian doctor's request. Dr. Knarks was asking them for a favor... what could he possibly want from them? More so, from Kirby and Meta Knight specifically.

"Which is?" Meta Knight began, slowly and carefully.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, his curiosity aroused.

Dr. Knarks heaved in a heavy sigh and looked quite uncomfortable. He glanced nervously from side to side, as if to check that no one else was listening in. (No one else meaning Garna or Roaren, specifically.)

"I seem to have hit a bit of a snag in my research, you see. The key component for my Celestial Beasts has... regrettably run dry." Dr. Knarks explained.

"Why don't you just buy more of whatever you need with Nightmare's money?" Tiff asked with a slight huff, "Isn't that what Garna's been getting for you?"

"Yeah..." Geoffrey agreed, squinting his eyes with distrust.

"I'm afraid that's not possible. This isn't something you can just buy on the shelf of a grocery store and the Black Markets don't exactly have what I'm looking for." Dr. Knarks answered.

"Is there something you haven't been telling us about your created creatures?" Kautounie growled.

After a deep sigh, the mad doctor finally let it spill, "I need the blood of a Star Warrior to continue my work... there, I said it!"

Everyone in the room froze, their eyes wide. Dr. Knarks had been using Star Warrior blood to make his Celestial Beasts this whole time and they were none the wiser?! No wonder he didn't want Garna around, she'd be having kittens! Then again, odds were good that somehow, she might have already known.

"You what?!" Sirica spat, completely in shock.

"So all those things those two have been spookin' up." King Dedede stammered, pointing to Tiff and Kautounie, "You made them out of Star Warriors then?"

"Wait... so that red stuff you had me extracting from that vial... that was-?" Escargoon questioned, nervously.

"What did you think it was? Cherry Kool-Aid?" Dr. Knarks scoffed with a shrug, "It was the last of Sir Meta Knight's life juice, fool."

"I think I'm gonna faint..." Escargoon panted, fully realizing what he had gotten himself into.

Meta Knight was beyond incensed, so much so that it took him a while to say anything. But finally, with an angry growl, he spoke.

"How did you-?!" he snarled, his eyes flashing red before cutting himself off once realization hit him over the head like a ton of bricks, "Oh you!"

The old knight remembered... before Dr. Knarks became their ally he was very much their enemy. The sadist had kidnapped him, chained him to a test table and was about ready to start slicing into him while he was still alive just to get a look at his innards.

"Look, before I met you... really met you that is... and our relationship was off to a rocky start-" Dr. Knarks began.

"Well that's sprinkling sugar on the shit and calling it candy." Kautounie muttered angrily, earning a wince from King Dedede.

Dr. Knarks paused for a minute, waiting for Kautounie to finish her snide comment. Once she was done, he continued, "Well, while prepping Sir Meta Knight for surgery, I took a sample of his blood, thinking that I could use it for something. Suddenly, I realized that I had found the key component for the creation of Celestial Monsters. The life force of something so powerful, righteous, and pure, it's amazing how well the blood of others speaks to me. Look, I know you all must think me a cad for keeping this from you..."

"Damn right!" Geoffrey growled.

"But if I told you the whole truth from the beginning I knew things would get... rough again. But it's come down to it. No more Star Warrior blood, no more Celestial Beasts, which translates to no army to take against Holy Nightmare's forces. Sure, I've got the ones I've already made, but hardly enough to call an army. Besides, you owe me. Had it not been for my expertise, the little ones you currently cuddle with wouldn't even know you anymore!" Dr. Knarks pointed out rather bluntly.

However much anyone at that moment hated him right now, there was no denying the fact that without Dr. Knarks, Kirby and Neo would still be suffering from that horrific nightmare, unable to wake from it, if not outright dead. But that didn't entirely change the fact that he was treading on brittle ice... and the mad draconian knew it.

"Eh boss... was telling them bitches really the best idea?" Nasher squeaked, crawling out of his hiding place and leaping onto his master's shoulder.

"We can hear you... Nasher." Tiff scowled, "Dr. Knarks, how could you keep something like this from us?!"

"Because you would have pitched a fit like the one you're pitching now!" Dr. Knarks stated bluntly.

Tiff hissed quite audibly and it was entirely possible that she was seeing everything around her in different shades of red. By now, the noise had stirred Neo from her sleep, and Talon didn't look too happy either. But before any shouting matches could escalate, Kirby decided to nip this problem in the bud. He may have been young, but he knew he owed Dr. Knarks big time. As a Star Warrior, he was bound by a code of honor, and repaying the mad doctor for saving his life was the honorable thing to do.

"Poyo... Kaabi will do it." Kirby chirped with a nod, "Kaabi agree."

Meta Knight closed his eyes and took in a deep sigh. There was no way he could ever fully trust Dr. Knarks, not after everything he had pulled. But Kirby was willing to do it, of his own free will, no less.

"Kirby...?" Tiff asked, concern heavy in her voice.

"Are you sure?" Kautounie asked, taking a moment to scowl at the computer screen, "One's blood, given willingly, can be a powerful thing, be it in the right or wrong hands."

Kirby had made up his mind and confirmed it once again, much to the delight of Dr. Knarks.

"Jolly good. Excellent, I shant be a moment." Dr. Knarks hissed as he rose from his chair and stepped out of view, much to the bewilderment of the team, not to mention Escargoon.

Just what was he doing? There was the sound of some objects being stuffed into a small medical bag and a heavy door opening. Next came the sparks and zaps that was unmistakably the Monster Transporter system. Then it struck them all at the same time. He wasn't going to just wait for them to return from the badlands. He knew they had a Monster Transporter and he had the coordinates to their location from when they had sent Dusk to him. Dr. Knarks it seemed... was making a house call.

"Well... shit..." Geoffrey muttered slowly.

All Escargoon could do was let out a nervous laugh before returning to... whatever it was he was doing with the computers and chemistry burners. But what was on the snail's end of the computer screen was the least of the team's worry.

"Um... see you later... buddy." King Dedede managed to get out, rather slowly.

He, and everyone else for that matter, had their attention fixed on the noises coming from the lower floors of the prison fortress. It certainly wasn't the Stargazers stirring up down there, (To be fair, the Stargazers were rather quiet for a pack of zwetoock barbarians, for the time, anyway,) and because this was Felldersai Taa, where anything could happen, everyone instinctively went for their weapons, at least those that were able to. Kautounie and Meta Knight had both gotten up out of the bed, leaving Kirby and Neo slightly confused and bewildered.

At the sound of heavy, sharp claws clicking along the stone floor, echoing in the hall, Kautounie gave her shotgun a solid pump while King Dedede and Sirica positioned themselves on either side of the doorway for an ambush strike, just in case. Naturally, Dr. Knarks was not the least bit surprised as he finally located the room the team camped out in.

"Do you greet all your guests this way?" the mad draconian questioned, flicking his tail from side to side.

He took a moment to glare down at Sirica. The younger warrioress was a bit surprised, as she hadn't expected Dr. Knarks to be as big as he was, but she let him inside without a word.

"When they've been keeping things from us, hell yes." Geoffrey snorted, still not lowering his weapon.

Dr. Knarks ignored the rogue, his sights set of Kirby and Sir Meta Knight, though he couldn't help but glance away when Kautounie clearly growled at him. Slowly, the mad doctor set his traveling medical kit down and pulled out two syringes.

"The only reason you don't feel the sting of Galaxia where you stand right now is because I owe you my apprentice's life, and Neo's!" Meta Knight snarled.

"And may I be the first to admit that for my deceitful behavior I am more then deserving of Galaxia up the arse." Dr. Knarks stated, honestly, "Just not today."

Kirby tensed up a little. He had been poked, prodded, and tortured enough to last a lifetime, and now he was willingly allowing a known sadist to draw his blood. As the mad doctor prepped the needle, Neo quietly shook her head at Dr. Knarks.

"It wont hurt..." Dr. Knarks insisted, "Much..." he added, after a brief pause.

"Oh... I can't watch this!" King Dedede whined, covering his eyes.

Kirby let out a slight yelp, but thankfully, Dr. Knarks was true to his word. The mad doc worked quickly and efficiently, filling the syringe with the young warrior's bright red blood. Naturally, Kirby winced a little, but he did not pull back.

"Kirby of the Stars. So pure, so innocent... so powerful. I thank you for your assistance, my little pink friend." Dr. Knarks hissed, as he finally pulled the needle out of Kirby's arm, "With this... I'll be able to create a powerful Celestial Beast."

"The least you could do is tell us what you're using Kirby's blood for!" Tiff snipped with a slight huff.

Taking in a deep sigh, Dr. Knarks put the needle containing the young warrior's blood back into his medical kit, cleaned the injection site, tucked the pink puffball back under his fur pelts and blankets, then readied the other needle he had gotten out ahead of time, "Very well. I plan to create a beast of the purest kind to combat the evil of Nightmare's Demons. Living righteousness... and I needed the life blood of the purest Star Warrior to make it, as all my other attempts have failed. I'm going to once again attempt to conjure... a Unicorn."

At the mad doctor's announcement, one couldn't help but notice how quiet it had gotten. Did he really just say what they thought they heard him say?

"Seriously?" Kautounie asked after an uncomfortable silence.

"A what?!" Tiff balked.

"You really... are mad!" Neo remarked, "Unicorns went extinct around... the same time... the same time as Gryphons..." she muttered, suddenly realizing what she was saying.

They had plenty of proof that Gryphons soared the skies once again, thanks to this mad draconian doctor. (Hmph, it was something Knuckle Joe knew quite well and used to his full advantage, that was for sure.)

"Now then, if you just think that what I attempt to create is one of those pretty, prancing, white, sparkling ponies that you've heard about in fairy tales... then you've got another thing coming." Dr. Knarks explained, sounding more then just a little serious, "I don't do sparkles... not really my style." he added in a low mutter as he swabbed Meta Knight's arm before drawing his blood.

"Just... make it quick... doctor." Meta Knight hissed as he turned his head away.

Dr. Knarks didn't take quite the same care with Meta Knight as he did with Kirby, as those watching could clearly see the draconian medic jab the needle into him before taking the blood. Meta Knight fought hard against his natural instinct to flinch and barley stifled his annoyed snarl, but stayed still long enough for Dr. Knarks to finish.

"Oh, by the way, Miss Riverdale purposely forgot to mention this to you, because I was in the same room, no doubt, that she has contacted that gryphon-stealing twat, Knuckle Joe, and invited him to my secret underground lair! My lair!" Dr. Knarks groaned with distaste, as he put away the syringe containing Meta Knight's blood, "I loose control every time I hear that little shit's name, she claims. Me, loose control, can you believe that?! Hmph, maybe it has something to do with that twit 'borrowing' my prized first creation!"

As Dr. Knarks ranted on, Tiff and Sirica both had tried to point out that the phantasm of Sir Jecra had materialized into the room, hearing every foul thing the draconian doctor had said about his son. It wasn't long before Kautounie, Neo, and Kirby saw this as well. Geoffrey and King Dedede noticed, but judging by the grins on their faces, they thought it best to let the not-so-good doctor figure it out for himself. Meta Knight... well, he and King Dedede could agree on something for once.

"It's bad enough that that little twat announces to me that he's taking off with such a fine, noble animal, now he's coming back to my lair to flaunt it in my face!" Dr. Knarks ranted, turning on his heel to leave.

He stopped with a start when he saw the smaller, elf-like warrior standing right in front of him, completely unintimidated by the drastic difference in size.

"What were you saying about my boy?!" Sir Jecra demanded.

"Mother of pearl, who the f**k are you?!" Dr. Knarks sputtered, his red, glowing eyes growing very large and round.

Where did this guy come from?! He certainly wasn't here before... was he?

"Poyo... Knuck-Joe's daddy!" Kirby chirped, quite cheerfully.

"What?" Dr. Knarks asked, sounding rather alarmed.

"Indeed, may I introduce my good friend and fellow warrior, Sir Jecra of the Galaxy Soldier Army, A.K.A. Knuckle Joe's father." Meta Knight introduced, with a sneer hidden beneath his mask.

"But-but wait... if you're... ahem, his father, then how could you be here, didn't you die or... or-oh...OH!" Dr. Knarks hissed, backing up and nearly tripping over his own tail and into King Dedede.

With a mischievous smirk, Sir Jecra's form rose off the ground, matching Dr. Knarks' height and a soft, ethereal blue light formed around his figure, giving him a very ghostly appearance.

"Hey, watch it there, Knarks!" King Dedede groaned, though one couldn't help but notice how shaky his voice was, not to mention the fact that he was trying to make himself look as small and insignificant as possible.

Now Sirica and Tiff were giggling, especially Tiff, truly enjoying seeing what Dr. Knarks looked like when he was actually scared. As for Meta Knight and the others, well, they well and truly believed that justice had been served.

"Why... good doctor, you look as though you've seen a ghost." Sir Jecra purred.

"Maybe it's because I am staring right... at... one... oh shit!" Dr. Knarks hissed, "Ahem... naturally what I was going to say is that you're son, Knuckle Joe, is merely looking after one of my Celestial Beasts for a while, my prized, Demon-slaughtering Gryphon, Razorbeak, to be exact. I'll admit, he took to him like a sea urchin to water."

"By the way, I was meaning to ask what a gryphon was, sounds fascinating." Sir Jecra said, completely loosing any frightening appeal that he was going for.

"Oh yes, we were getting to that one." Kautounie muttered.

"I wouldn't mind hearing about it again." Sirica piped in.

Dr. Knarks slowly began lifting his wings in front of him while averting his eyes, not wanting to gaze back into the bright blue eyes of the star warrior's ghost. At this, Sir Jecra let out an audible groan and rolled his eyes before taking his more solid form on the ground.

"Oh come on, I'm not going to drain either of your life forces!" Sir Jecra sighed, his eyes darting to King Dedede, if only for a split second.

"Gryphon, gryphon, yes... a powerful and majestic animal to be certain, half eagle, half lion, the... the physical embodiment of honor and valor itself... your son's been taking very good care of him. Now.. I've got to be going now! There's more work to be done!" Dr. Knarks shuddered, as he grew more and more anxious to leave the room.

He turned around, nearly hitting Tiff with his tail and running into Sirica as he did. The draconian paused for a moment, thinking that perhaps they would be willing blood donors.

"Hey! Easy with the tail!" Tiff demanded.

"Don't push your luck, doc!" Sirica growled, narrowing her gaze.

"Ummm, you'll know when my next project is complete. If you're still at this address, I'll send it to you via Monster Transporter, if not, try your luck with the spell! Let me know how the little ones are faring. Contrary to popular belief, I do give a tin shilling about those two. That is all and good-bye!" Dr. Knarks mentioned, fleeing from Felldersai Taa as fast as he could.

It took a few minutes for everything that had just happened to sink in with everyone. First, drawing star warrior blood, then a quick rant about Knuckle Joe, then they suddenly realized something.

"Who knew Dr. Knarks was scared of ghosts." Geoffrey commented.

"I don't trust him!" Talon huffed, "Messing with my Star Warriors!"

"Anyone who is smart doesn't trust him, not fully, anyway." Meta Knight commented.

"Poyo." Kirby agreed with a nod.

Jecra chuckled softly to himself, feeling much satisfaction. As the sound of claws clicking on stone floors faded away, there were some startled yips and barks from below, followed by some of the mad doctor's colorful and creative cussing.

"You weren't really going to... drain him of his life essence, were you?" Sirica asked, a bit nervously as she looked up to Sir Jecra's ghost.

"Oh of course not!" Sir Jecra admitted at last.

"Hmmm, I wouldn't have minded if you did... just a little." Meta Knight admitted with a shrug of indifference, "I'm sure Kirby would agree with me. Right son? Kirby? Child?" he asked, looking down to the small form curled up beside him.

Meta Knight wasn't getting an answer from the younger warrior anytime soon. Kirby was already fast asleep, and there was no waking him this time. Taking Kirby's suggestion to heart, the rest of the group began settling back for the night. This night was for rest and healing, as there may not be many more like it, especially here. Sooner or later, they would have to move on.

Talon flitted up to the bed's headboard, offering to take first watch alongside Sir Jecra, who was more than willing to watch over his friends while they rested. King Dedede was already out, though how he could sleep listening to his own snoring was a bit of a mystery. Geoffrey had made what one might call either a mistake or bold move, taking a seat in the middle of the couch next to Sirica, who was already leaning against him. Meanwhile, Tiff covered both Meta Knight and Kirby with an extra blanket before settling in on Geoffrey's vacant side. Naturally the rogue just smiled with satisfaction. Kautounie, having witnessed everything, rolled her eyes before snuggling against her younger sister, who was already fast asleep. But despite Sir Jecra's ever vigilant form standing guard, Meta Knight did not feel at all comfortable, as several dark and unpleasant thoughts began stirring in his mind. He glanced down to Kirby, protectively putting an arm around his shoulder.

 **IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~**

Early that morning, possibly still nighttime, Tiff awoke, carefully prying herself off of Geoffrey as not to wake him, and careful not to set off anything in his coat for that matter, and immediately noticed that Sir Meta Knight was nowhere to be found. She checked on Kirby, who was still in bed, blissfully unaware that his father wasn't around. Everyone else was there, fast asleep, everyone accept Sir Jecra, of course.

"He's down the hall a ways." Sir Jecra told the girl before she could even ask, "You ought to know how he likes to have private time to himself."

"Thanks." Tiff said, grabbing her wand and slinging her new crossbow onto her back before hurrying out the door, her cape flowing behind her.

She followed the Star Warrior's ghost's vague instructions, nervously making her way down the blood-stained corridor. Sure, they had done what they could to tidy up and make the conditions more livable, but there was no scrubbing this evil place of death, not completely. It was certainly much more spooky walking down the dark hallway all alone, never knowing when or if something nasty was going to pop out of the shadows and snare you. Thankfully for Tiff, that was not the case, as she found a doorway, (well, more like a passage way now, seeing as the door was broken off it's hinges and in two distinct pieces on the ground,) leading to a balcony overlooking the ruined courtyard. Just as she had hoped, there was Sir Meta Knight, perched on the edge of the stone railing, like she would usually find him back home in Castle Dedede.

There was a rumble of thunder in the air, from the dark storm clouds looming above the massive black mountain in the distance, and also from the Celestial Mastiffs down in the courtyard, guarding the rather large gap in the wall that Geoffrey and Sirica had made. Meta Knight's attention had been fixed on the beautiful white beasts as they warded off the horde of wights and zombies from the lake that were trying to get past the crude, ramshackle barricade of broken logs, weapons, scrap steel, and even the charred remains of some of the enemies killed in previous combat from a few days ago, that had been set up and inside the courtyard, until he was approached by Tiff, that is.

"Sir Meta Knight... are... are you alright?" Tiff asked, concern heavy in her voice, "Why aren't you with Kirby right now?"

"Tiff, I... I just needed a few minutes to myself. I'm fine." Meta Knight sighed, still not taking his eyes off the standoff down below, "So is Kirby, he's stronger then you give him credit for."

Tiff instinctively reached for the crossbow on her back, loading one of the short, but sharp bolts. She pointed the weapon down at the wights below, debating whether or not to take a shot. Thankfully though, the wights and other undead retreated back to the lake with mournful groans before a fight got started. But they were getting bolder, and it was only a matter of time before the fiends got inside.

"They've been at it since we settled down here. Since there's no longer a Necromancer to control them, they've just... surrounded this place." Meta Knight sighed, turning his gaze to the rumbling mountain in the distance, "Hmhm, do you even know how to fire that thing, anyway?" he added, with a light chuckle.

The sudden change in subject caught Tiff a little off guard as she fumbled for an answer, but a slight tremor beneath her feet put her train of thought to a screeching halt. Fire and smoke began to spew from the top of the Dead Mountain, and Tiff could see Meta Knight tense up, his eyes flashing red for a minute. Then something else happened. Tiff reached inside of her robe, taking the Star Piece out. She had not felt it pulse with this much power in a long time. It glowed brightly, the brightest when pointed at the Dead Mountain.

"Sir Meta Knight... do you think-?" Tiff began.

"I don't think." Meta Knight growled, "I know! I had a feeling, we would be visiting the Bloodtooth Capitol before leaving this evil place." he finished, flitting down from the railing of the balcony and back towards the Warden's Bed Chamber where everyone was staying.

"Meta Knight! Wait! There's one thing... I really wanted to ask about... just not in front of the others." Tiff mentioned, nervously.

Meta Knight didn't say anything, but he stopped in his tracks and turned around, his curiosity aroused.

"I-I couldn't help but hear Gerard Collins call you... call you Prince. Just, what does that mean? Are you a prince?" Tiff asked, feeling a little silly, awkward, and downright petrified all at the same time.

Meta Knight took in a deep breath, his eyes shifting in a multitude of colors as some sort of emotional overload flooded his mind. He froze for a minute, before finally spitting out, "It's nothing. The... the ravings of a mad dead man! Speak no more of it... please."

"But Meta Knight..." Tiff pressed.

"Tiff! Forget you ever heard that, any of it." Meta Knight growled, taking a faster stride then usual, cape tucked tightly around him.

Naturally, Tiff was a little confused, but then she began thinking. There was something Meta Knight really didn't want to share, (like that was anything new,) obviously it wasn't just nothing. She had unknowingly struck a nerve. But before she upset the elder warrior, for the time being, Tiff dropped the subject. Besides, there were much more important things to worry about.

 **IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~IYNMs~**

Meanwhile, as Tiff and Meta Knight were on their way back to the room, everyone else in the group was waking up, or had already woken up. Already it seemed as though Neo had recovered enough to start casting spells, as her first move that morning was to alleviate the wounds both she and Kirby bore with a Group Healing. It worked, to a point, that is. As although the spell speed up the healing process of their injuries, it didn't do much to undo the physical weakness from two weeks of malnourishment and possible muscle loss.

"Neo! Stop, you're going to hurt yourself again." Kautounie growled with irritation as Neo struggled to stand.

"Just listen to our big sister! I wont have you hurt again!" Talon huffed, poofing out her feathers in agitation.

Neo clung to her older sister for support. She hadn't been able to stand in days, mostly due to pain which was thankfully gone. But it felt as though she had just ran a few laps through the fortress, as her breathing was quite heavy.

"I know my limits, dear sister... Talon. I'll be fine." Neo grunted, glancing over her shoulder to Kirby, who was in a similar situation, "Just let me get dressed and hand me my bow, please. You'll find I'm... good as new."

The small pink puffball refused to collapse, using his wings to balance himself so that he didn't have to rely on the still half-asleep King Dedede for support. At least Neo's and Kirby's fighting spirits were tough as ever, but that didn't change the fact that they weren't fit for travel. Though judging by the changing atmosphere, they might not have a choice.

"Alright, they can stand on their own two feet, that's good enough." Geoffrey stated, "I say we take what supplies we can carry and bugger off."

"I think he's right." Sirica admitted, "We've overstayed our welcome here as it is."

"What?!" Tiff demanded as she and Meta Knight strode through the door, "There's no way Kirby and Neo can travel in their condition!"

Kirby narrowed his eyes a little at Tiff, along with a softly spoken, "Poyo, Kaabii surprise you."

"Tiff, think about what you and I just saw on that balcony!" Meta Knight pointed out.

Tiff was about to speak again, but wisely kept her mouth shut.

"What? What did you see out there?" Sirica asked, slowly reaching for her weapon.

Meta Knight heaved a heavy sigh, "The fiends of Wight Lake are closer and closer to breaching. Eventually, even the Celestial Beasts and Sir Jecra's strength wont be enough to hold them back. Sooner or later, they're going to get inside and we'll have no choice but to fight our way out."

Before anyone else could interject, Sir Jecra spoke up, "He's right! I've contained the evil entities within these walls, but there are still those that dwell in the lake surrounding this fortress. Not to mention there are the roaming hordes of wild demon beasts that are starting to get curious."

After hearing Sir Jecra's statement, the room went quiet, save for a softly spoken "poyo" from Kirby. The facts were right is front of them, and staying sealed away in this death trap of a fortress wouldn't do anyone no good no how, especially with an untold number of ravenous fiends headed straight for them.

"Well, I never really liked it here anyway, anyhow!" King Dedede grunted, crossing his arms.

"And let's also not forget that it's only a matter of time before the demons that got away go squeal to their lord and master, unless they've done so already." Geoffrey stated.

"If we have too, Kirby and I should be strong enough to ride." Neo said, "And we can help with securing the place long enough to gather supplies to take with us and send back to the Halberd and Garna."

"But Neo..." Both Geoffrey and Kautounie began.

"Poyo! Kaabii wanna help... too." Kirby interjected.

"We're both a little bored with being dead weight around here." Neo growled, earning an agreeing nod from Kirby, "And we wont be convinced otherwise."

After more "fact-pointing-out" and "what-if" discussions, it was eventually settled. The group would warn their downstairs neighbors, the Stargazers, of the impending dangers, then gather what they could before leaving the evils of Felldersai Taa behind and head for the slopes of the Dead Mountain, despite the fact that Kirby and Neo weren't fully recovered. Should they be attacked, it was highly doubtful that Holy Nightmare's legions would show any considerations to their condition. If anything, it was better to have both of them armed and on their feet, just in case they were given no option but to fight. But until the time for battle came, Kirby and Neo would be given very light duties. Meanwhile, Sir Jecra vanished, presumably to patrol the crumbling fortress walls.

Kirby could not have been more grateful then ever when he finally got to dawn his splendid armor once again. It had a few nicks and scratches from the battles prior to his incarceration, but that was to be expected. Dusk didn't seem to interested in maintaining it, after all, more of present it as a trophy. But as Kirby buckled the straps, he couldn't help but notice how his wings reacted to his cape, seamlessly melding into the enchanted cloth like Meta Knight's and Dusk's wings would.

"Poyo? Wh-what's-?" Kirby asked, curiously, watching as his white feathered wings sifted into his at first magenta cape, then cooed with amazement as it turned white.

"Kirby, when you've recovered enough, I'll teach you how to fly without the aid of your Wing ability and how to control your cape." Meta Knight stated, "But until such a time, I'm sure you've been wanting this back." he added, presenting Kirby with his icy blade, the Winterclaw.

"I've scrubbed it of Dusk's filth as best I could, Kirby." Kautounie added, "Pftt! Bastard bounty hunter! Winterclaw was a gift to you from my mother!"

"Hopefully you wont catch anything." Tiff added with a distasteful mutter.

Neo, after zipping up her (at one time, maybe) bright pink hoodie, slung her quiver over her shoulder and took Heartseeker in hand once again. It was such an invigorating feeling to have her trusted weapon with her.

"Can you even use that thing?" Sirica asked with a bit of a playful snort.

Taking Sirica's question as a challenge of skill, Neo knocked an arrow, whipped around, firing the arrow into the peeling, decrepit painting of Lord Nightmare hanging on the wall, nailing her mark right on the forehead. A few of the team, King Dedede, Talon, and Tiff to be precise, were a little startled as the arrow whistled through the air, but Geoffrey just smiled and nodded, as did Kautounie.

"That's my little sister, all right." Geoffrey stated.

"Nice shot." Sirica said, after swallowing the nervous dry lump in her throat.

"What do you know, I've still got it!" Neo muttered, cocking her head to the side to better admire her target practice.

"Poyo!" Kirby chided in, cutely.

Rested, though not quite fully restored, the team got to work immediately. They knew they were running on borrowed time, and the Gods only knew how the Stargazers would react to their dire news. After more then a week in this horrible prison, Kirby and Neo were more then eager to leave. The Dead Mountain, the Bloodtooth Capitol awaited. There were plans to make, battles to win, and treasure to find... and not necessarily in that order.

 **Author's Notes::** Anyways, back on track... YES! Chapter 46 of In your Nightmares! I know, I know, mostly dialogue with some fluff and a few amusing moments thrown in for good measure, (My personal favorite was how Garna scolds Roaren for breathing fire indoors), and... I hope ya'll remembered that blood sample Dr. Knarks took from Meta Knight way back in the Asylum arch! Yup, every Celestial Beast Dr. Knarks has created thus far has a little piece of our very own Good Sir Meta Knight in them. (Obviously our favorite blue puffball ain't a happy camper, but he's still better off then Dusk!)

Well, I certainly hope that I've sparked some curiosity for returning readers, those who never gave up on me, and those who may have only recently stumbled upon this by accident. I'm going to prep the next chapters for posting that I PROMISE will have some hardcore violence that I know some of you crave! *SPOILER, le'derp!* (I'm a huge fan of Walking Dead and Z-Nation + they're in a crumbling castle surrounded by undead! I'm pretty sure it doesn't take a psychic like Tamoko or Kabu to figure out what's about to happen next!

 **Disclaimer::** Kautounie, Neo, Geoffrey, and Riley are © to me.

Kirby, Meta Knight, and all related characters © Nintendo and HAL Laboratories.


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